A new beginning of old times
by CRRC
Summary: Dealing with his parents death has left Yugi shaken, symptoms of PTSD linger. After being gone from school for months Yugi comes back to find a new student named Yami who intrigues him, but Yugi isn't the only one with a dark past. Can Yami help Yugi overcome his challenges, and will Yugi except Yami once he finds out about his past?
1. Chapter 1: Going back

H'ukay, so here is the deal. This is a story based off Yugi being the lighter and Yami being the darker of the pair, but rather than portraying the shadow realm it would portray real life. Yugi is a sensitive guy as we all know, and Yami is up to no good, unknown to Yugi.

This story will have drug abuse, sexual content, and self-harm. It also has a lot of bonding moments between characters, so I do consider it to be a leisurely read.

I don't own Yugioh or anything else, just the story plot. Make sure to review and let me know what you think, and as always thanks for reading. : )

* * *

"Yugi, are you sure you are ready?" the man asked the younger boy standing in front of him. He smiled faintly at short boy standing before him.

"I'm fine grandpa." He replied forcefully but kind, looking up at the older man with his large amethyst eyes as he got done tying his shoe. Did he really have to ask him so many times about going to school? It wasn't like he was off to battle, never to be seen again.

"Just know if you need me then call, I will come and get you right away." He fretted, concern thick in his voice. It was nice to see his grandson full of energy again acting like the optimistic person he knew him to be. Still he was hesitant, worried he would fall back into the darkness that had lingered over him so thick the past few months.

The teenage boy of about 17 just smiled, his head tilting to the side as he placed a hand on the back of his head. "I wish you wouldn't worry so much, it's been two months already. I really can't miss anymore school."

As his grandfather was about to retort a chime sung from a clock hanging on the wall. 6 o'clock in the morning. "I gotta go!" Yugi said turning his back on his grandfather, waving goodbye as he whisked out the backdoor and onto an ally way street, leaving his grandfather standing alone in the living room.

"Have a good day!" he shouted after his grandson, unable to even say goodbye properly before the young boy was out the door.

Yugi sighed, slowing his pace from a jog as he rounded the corner, looking back to make sure his grandfather wasn't following him out onto the street. Relief flooded him when he saw he was alone. As much as he loved his grandfather and was grateful for his concern he felt smothered, it was nice to get away from him every once in a while, to clear his head and have other things to focus on.

Walking Yugi put his hands on the back of his head, careful to not press down on the top of his neatly styled hair. While some people would argue his hair was rebel and offending Yugi thought it was brilliant, black with red tips, and blonde bangs the strung down to help shape his face. He loved his hair this way, ever since he figured out how to style it so uniquely when he was 12. Yugi smiled to himself as he remembered his mother helping him figure out the bleaching process for his bangs. The moment when she dropped a large blob of bleach on his forehead brought an even bigger smile on his face.

"Heyya Yug'!" someone shouted from across the street, snapping Yugi from his happy memory.

"Oh." Yugi set a smaller smile on his face, watching a taller blonde haired boy run across the street, stopping short to avoid being hit by a car that promptly honked its horn in retaliation of the boy's dumb choice. "Hi'ya Joey." He greeted him once he'd gotten across the street.

"Just talked to your gramps this morning, said you got the okay to come back to school." Joey said giving him the thumbs up as the two walked together.

Yugi shrugged, his hands slipping into his pockets. "Yeah. I'm glad to be going back." He admitted. "I had a lot of time to work on my duel monsters deck but still it did get boring after a while."

"Duel Monsters?! Boring? Get real." Joey said shaking his head. "That's never happen."

"Well, it did." Yugi said flatly. "Besides it isn't as much fun if you can't duel people either." Although he'd missed school Yugi had been texting Joey, keeping up on strategies and each other's new cards.

Joey shrugged and looked down at the shorter boy who barely reached his chest, a worried look began to cast over his eyes so he looked back ahead as the two walked in silence for a few blocks.

"Tea and Tristen will be happy to see you…" Joey trailed off, not wanting to push Yugi too far on the subject of his absence.

Yugi smiled, unaware of Joey's caution. "It will be nice to see them! I'm just glad you and Tristin managed to stay out of trouble this long without me." he laughed, knowing very well that the two were constantly up to no good, Joey thinking of ridiculous plans and Tristin helping to pull them off.

"Ey, we did just fine thank you." Joey replied smugly.

"Yeah, with Tea's help." Yugi laughed, giving Joey a shove almost knocking him over.

Joey squinted his eyes and snorted in a silent comeback but let it drop as they rounded the block that took them to school.

The school yard was large, larger than most. It took up a good two blocks, the yard outlined with six foot high steel fencing. Grass blanketed the large lawn, trees looming here and there providing a wonderful amount of shade, which was perfect for hot summers days like this one was promising to be. Yugi looked forward to lounging under one of this during his lunch period.

Yugi and Joey passed under the metal arch that outlined the entrance to the school and Yugi smiled looking up at the big brick building, both missing and dreaded the time he'd be spending here again. The friends, the games, the school activities, and the homework and long hours of studying. The good and the bad, Yugi had missed it.

The pair entered the school and went to their lockers, chatting along the way, Joey trying to catch Yugi up with the latest school gossip while throwing in his fair amount of complaints. Yugi nodded as he listened to Joey and tried to remember his locker combination when he was bulldozed over, a shout of "YUGI!" coming from the blur that had just rushed him.

Much to Yugi's surprise he found himself lifted off the ground, embraced in a bear hug by his older friend Tristen. Tristen, much like Joey, was tall and thin, but rather than having blonde hair he had brown which he had pulled forward and tipped. Tristen also had a darker completion in comparison to the pale skinned Joey.

"Tristin!" Yugi huffed as his friend pushed the life out of him with his hug. "I've missed you too!"

"Tristen put him down, you're going to break him in two if you don't stop." A female voice came from behind them. It was Tea, Yugi's friend of many years. She was of average height, with brown hair and a sweet, small face. Tea was always kind, always caring, but fierce when she needed to be. It was her kind, loving heart that Yugi had come so fond of, and for the first time today he felt his heart lighten.

Tristen put Yugi down and Yugi rushed to give Tea a hug. "Tea I missed you! Thanks for keeping these guys in check for me while I was gone." He beamed at her.

"Oh please, with these two there is no help." He joked, causing both Tristen and Joey to glare at her.

"Don't listen to her Yug'. She just wants to take the credit for our smarts is all." Joey smiled, looking proud of himself for coming up with such a quick comeback. The three others just chuckled as Yugi continued with his locker, remembering the combination and getting a few of his study books out.

A bell rang loudly signaling the start of class. "What do you guys have first?" Yugi asked his small group of friends.

"Tea and I both had World History." Tristen said making a face like he was about to barf.

"Joey?" Yugi asked.

"I'm with you in Math. What'd ya say we trade with Tristin and Tea?" he mused.

Tea shook her head. "No way! I've heard horror stories about Mr. Matsuaki." She said turning away from them to head down the hall, dismissing the whole idea. "See you Yugi!" she called back.

"See ya…" Yugi sighed, wishing he could have spent a little more catch up time with his friends.

"Ah don't worry Yug, we will see 'em at lunch." Joey said wrapping his arm around Yugi's neck and pulling him down the hall, opposite of the way Tristen and Tea had just left. "Don't you worry, we will fall asleep in class in no time, then after that we get a break, then after that we can fall asleep in Biology, then after that….IT'S LUNCH TIME!"

Yugi laughed and rolled his eyes, wiggling himself out from under Joey's arm as they made their way to Math class.

They went into the class and took their seats, Joey pulling out a comic book ready to ignore yet another lesson to catch up on all the latest gaming news. Yugi's eyes scanned the room. Everything was the same as it had been a few months earlier. Math posters hung on the wall, the desks were all in perfect rows. The teacher even had his famous green jacket hanging by the door.

Yugi took a deep breath and went to grab his text book off his deck when something new caught his eye. For a moment Yugi had a terrible sense of de-ja-vu, his head spinning making him feel dizzy.

Two rows in front of him was a boy who looked to be about Tristin's age, but that wasn't what had drawn Yugi's attention. The boy had almost the exact same hair has him, only his blonde bangs were pulled up into his hair, where Yugi's blonde hung around his face.

The two looked so much alike it was unnerving. While Yugi was short this boy seemed taller like Tristen and Joey, but not as thin. Rather than being lengthy he had a stronger build, and his face was sharper than Yugi's, giving him a more regal and powerful appearance where Yugi looked soft and kind. This boy even dressed like Yugi, black clothes with a few punkish accessories like a buckle collar and some dark beaded bracelets.

"I don't think I've ever seen him here before…." Yugi thought to himself, forgetting all that was around him and ignoring that the teacher who walked in the room. He looked at the stranger again, giving him a good look over before nodding to himself. "No, I don't know him." He confirmed with himself more confidently.

"Alright class! Everyone settle down!" the teacher shouted louder than necessary. If anyone would have been acting rowdy then his loud tone would have been excusable, but like always his class was dead as a door nail. Not a single person wanted to be there.

Yugi's attention snapped back to reality and he whipped out a sheet of blank paper and a pen, quickly jotting down a note that he folded up. "Now today we are going to review. Who remembers a few of the principals we went over last class?" he teacher asked, turning his back to the students to write something on the chalkboard that lined the wall.

Yugi took advantage of this and quickly leaned over to slide the note onto Joey's desk with a "Psst!" to get his attention.

The Professor stopped writing and glanced behind him, but by that time Yugi was back at his desk flipping through his Math text book, as if trying to find some trace of what the teacher was writing on the board.

Joey waited for the teacher to go back to writing and stole the note off his desk, opening it up to read. "Who is the new guy?"

Holding the note he looked around and then to Yugi, who pointed out the boy he didn't recognize. Understanding dawned on Joey's face as he quickly wrote a response. He folded the note back up into the shape of a triangle and rather than sliding it back to Yugi he flicked it over to him, causing a girl who was sitting behind them to giggle.

"Yes Miss Fluraina? Is something amusing?" the teacher asked quickly turning to face the class. Yugi snatched the note up and hid it just in time.

"No Sir, sorry Sir…." The girl muttered taking down a few notes and looking down pointedly at her paper.

"Now as you all should remember there are rules when breaking down a formula." The teacher began to lecture and Yugi took it as his opportunity to read what Joey had written.

"I think his name is Yami. At first we all thought he was you. After we realized he wasn't we didn't talk. A lot of the kids around here seem to think he's weird. Tea might know him though…."

Yugi frowned slightly at this response as he looked to Yami again, wanting to know more about him. Call it weird but there was something about having your mirror image in the same room as you that made Yugi want to know more. Not to mention this guy seems horribly attractive. The way he slung his leg over his desk gave off an air of arrogance, but his face was masked with boredom, it was clear Yami felt like he had much better places to be.

Admiring the well-built boy it was only this time that Yugi noticed something hanging off Yami's belt, something that made his heart skip a beat with excitement.

It was a dueling deck box, one that attached to the belt. Yugi smirked, knowing exactly how to get to know Yami. Not only did Yugi love a good duel, but any time someone had their own duel box he knew they meant business with their cards. What a better way to get to know someone than a friendly card game?


	2. Chapter 2: A vacation

The bell finally rang, excusing the students to go on break and eat their lunch. Yugi and Joey met up with Tristin and Tea at their lockers, walking together as a group going to get their lunch from the cafeteria.

"Hey Tea, there was a new guy in class today, have you met him?' Yugi asked curiously as he plucked an apple from a large basket off the lunch line.

"You mean the one that looks like you?"

"Yeah." He nodded grabbing a sandwich.

"I did talk to him, but it didn't seem like he was very interested. I thought you two might know each other, you guys look so much alike, but I guess not." She shrugged.

"Joey said his name is Yami?" Yugi asked, hoping that Tea wouldn't think his interest was suspicious.

"Pretty sure that is it. Why?"

Yugi felt a flash of hot race through him at the question and took the opportunity to pay for his lunch to steal a moment and think. "Oh, he just looks delicious is all." He thought to himself.

"Uh, no reason really." he said quickly trying to come up with an excuse. "He had a deck of cards, I thought I might ask him for a game or two."

"I did see him playing with a few kids the other day now that I think of it." She said, causing Yugi to sigh in relief that his hidden motives hadn't been exposed.

"Cool." was all Yugi said as they made their way outside, the sun stretching it's warm rays out to greet them. The school was always freezing inside, so going out in the sun was like stepping into a warm bath, it put goose bumps on your skin.

Looking around Yugi saw Tristen and Joey sitting in the shade under a tree, both already getting started on their lunches. Tristen saw them and waved them over. "I got us a spot over here!" he shouted stating the obvious.

Yugi and Tea both joined them, Yugi more ignoring his food and laying back on the grass, closing his eyes and enjoying a warm light breeze that swept around them. It was nice to finally back out of the house and with his friends, things were almost back to normal.

"It is good to be back." He signed out loud.

"It's good to have you back." Tea said with a smile. Yugi could hear it in her voice, it wasn't hard to miss with Tea, she was always so optimistic and happy.

"Don't lie, we could have gone another month without him." Joey joked, earning a punch in the arm from Tristen.

"Hey Trist, I was only kiddin' why don't ya lay off?!" Joey shouted at him, rubbing the spot Tristin had his vigorously.

"Why don't you knock it off and quit being a bonehead all the time?" Tristen snapped back.

Yugi smiled to himself again, missing the arguments between the two friends. He had even missed their obnoxious bickering and fighting that always seemed to be happening.

The two carried on for another minuet and as they started to settle down Yugi heard another commotion, one that had been carried to him by the wind. Opening his eyes he looked over, his head rolling across his hands.

A little bit away was a group of kids crowded around a picnic table. One boy was on one side of the table, and another boy at the other side. Around them way a fairly large group of kids, a good proportion of them all around one boy who Yugi instantly recognized as Yami.

Yugi sat up getting Joey's attention. "What's up?"

"Something is going on over there." Yugi said pointing.

"Oh yeah…" Joey said noticing it now too.

"Well, let's go check it out." Tristen said hopping up, abandoning his almost finished lunch.

The three boys headed over there, Tea scrambling to catch up as they made their way over to the table.

"Oh a duel!" Tea said once they could clearly see the table.

To Yugi's delight that is exactly what was happening. Yami was in a clear lead, with a Dark Magician out on the field and close to 2000 life points, while his opponent lagged behind with a small 348 life points and one small monster on the field.

"Geeze that's rough, no magic cards or trap cards either…" Yugi mused to his friends, Joey being the only one who nodded in agreement. Out of their small group Joey was always on Yugi's side with dueling. They both kept each other up to date with new release decks and cards, or tournaments that local game shops like the one his grandfather owned hosted. Tea and Tristen knew about cards, but it was only Joey who shared the passion.

Yami's opponent laid a card face down on the field, and a Giant Solider of Stone in defense position face up, clearly trying to ward Yami off from attacking again. Yami smirked at this, but Joey didn't take notice.

"That is a good defense monster though, it might give him another draw or two so he can come up with a plan." Joey muttered to Yugi.

"I'm not too sure about that." Yugi said watching Yami, who laid two cards face down and waited for his opponent to make a move, gesturing his hand out in front of him giving his opponent control of the field. The smirk on his face sent a tremble through Yugi. Was this guy always so cocky and smooth?

Yami's opponent smiled after he drew a card, putting down a Battle Ox in attack mode, powering it up with an Axe of Despair, then tried attacking the Dark Magician.

"Just a moment." Yami said as the boy started to throw an insult his way, thinking he had crushed Yami's card and a large chunk of his life points.

Yami pulled the two face down cards face up, one being a magic card and the other a trap. "I'm playing Harpie's Feather Duster, getting rid of your face down card." he announced, causing the other boy to flush red in the face with aggravation. "And I'm activating my Raigiki, which destroys all your monsters on the field, leaving you open to a direct attack from my Dark Magician, and wins me the game." He finished with a smile.

"Get real!" the kid yelled standing up at the table almost knocking it over. "How is it that you always seem to draw the perfect cards you cheat!?" he shouted.

"Oh don't be a sore looser Tommy." One of the girls who was watching said to the boy.

"Go put a sock in it! There is no way you beat as many people as you do without loosing!" he continued to rage on.

"If you'd like to play again I'd be more than happy to after class." Yami said crossing his arms, a confident and somewhat arrogant smile still on his face. "I'm not letting your touch my cards though, anyone that shotgun shuffles their cards is a fool. I'd never let you mishandle my cards like that."

Yugi watched the boy in slight awe. His confidence was unwavering, it radiated off him, and Yugi would be willing to bet that this confidence wasn't just with games either, it seemed to be at the very core of his personality. Even when Yugi played he wasn't this sure minded, despite his many years of experience and multiple wins.

"In your dreams!" Tommy shouted, snatching up his cards and stomping off.

Yami shook his head and gathered up his cards, shuffling them together neatly and placing them back in his dueling box on his waist.

"Uh, wait!" Yugi said stepping forward, surprising Tea who was now standing closest to him. "Would you mind if we played a round?" he asked hopefully pulling his cards from his pocket.

Before Yami could reply the bell rang signaling the start of classes causing Yugi to sigh, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.

Yami stood up, showing Yugi his full height that was around 6 feet. He was sure many people saw this as intimidating but Yugi wasn't concerned.

"You're Yugi, aren't you?" Yami asked as he stood from the table. Yugi only nodded in reply. "Hm…" Yami looked at him closer, "I guess people weren't lieing when they said we looked alike. We can play after class if that works okay for you."

Before Yugi had a chance to reply Yami was already walking away leaving Yugi to feel awkward and slightly confused.

"Yug' you must be nuts! I know you haven't been back at school long but geeze, you could have picked a easier duel." Joey said unbelieving of what Yugi just did.

"I'm not worried about it, after all it is just for a bit of fun really. It isn't like we will be playing for cards or anything." Yugi said walking back to his lunch that remained untouched.

Yugi picked his food up and stuffed a bite of apple in his mouth, chewing as he walked back into school. "I'll see you guys after class if you want to come watch Yami and I play." He said waving bye to his friends heading off to his Biology class.

Walking into the classroom Yugi finished off the last bite of his lunch, stopping when he saw the back of Yami's head. Not thinking he took the seat closest to him, wondering what the odds were that they had two classes together. Glancing at the table in front of him Yugi noticed goggles and trays sitting out, hinting they were going to be doing lab work. Now Yugi was wishing he would have paid more attention, maybe he could have nabbed a seat closer to Yami.

The teacher was already waiting, leaving Yugi no room to switch seats. Yugi huffed to himself at the missed opportunity.

"Okay everyone today we are splitting off into groups, one half of the class will draw names that we will put into this jar," she held up a large round glass jar " and the other half will draw and see who they are paired with. We will be mixing compounds and examining the structure, so one of you will be observing and the other taking notes."

The class was divided, and names written down and put into the jar. Yugi tossed his name in and waited for it to be drawn. One by one the students paired off until it was Yami's turn and much to Yugi's delight it turned out the two were to work together.

Yugi went over to Yami's table and started gathering supplies they would need while Yami sat with a pen and paper. "You can observe." He said plainly, clearly not thrilled about Biology.

"Fine with me." Yugi said with a smile. "I didn't really get to say hi outside, you're new here, aren't you?"

Yami's eyebrow raised in curiosity at the young boy's kindness and how friendly he was. "I am. I've been here for a few weeks though."

"Well, where are you from?" Yugi asked struggling to keep the conversation afloat.

"America." Yami answered flatly.

Yugi frowned slightly grabbed a powder that had been placed on one of the trays and moved a bit to a slide. Using an eyedropper he added liquid and shoved it under a microscope, looking through it to see the reaction of the compound.

"Hm. Well, it certainly doesn't like merging with hydrogen. Yugi said slowly, glancing over at Yami who scribbled down a few notes uninterestedly. "I bet it doesn't like blending, could be a mercury of some type." This time he kept his eyes on the slide, smiling to himself as he continued to speak. "I defiantly think it has potential to be social though, and really not that bad if you can get past it being a member of a heavy metal family that might kill you silently."

Yugi drew his face away from the microscope and glanced over at Yami, trying his best to suppress a wide smile. His eyes met a cold glare in return and Yugi retaliated with an even bigger grin.

"Did you just compare me to a methyl mercury compound?" Yami asked coldly.

"If you saw comparison to yourself I can't help that." Yugi said innocently.

Yami starred at him coldly for a moment, his face slowly giving way to a small smile. It looked good on him, Yugi could tell he was the serious type, but a little bit of fun suited him just fine too. "That could have been taken as an insult you know." he mumbled.

Yugi couldn't help but giggle. "Yeeaaahhh but it wasn't so I win. You said you're from America? Where at?" Yugi questioned trying to start their earlier conversation over.

Yami shook his head and rolled his eyes. Yugi was a persistent guy, he would give him that. "Washington DC, the place every one hears about no one cares to live."

"Woa! That must have been pretty neat." Yugi said imagining all the structures, streets and museums.

Yami scoffed. "More like a lot of miserable traffic and bossy people. I like it here much better."

Yugi shrugged. "Still sounds pretty neat to me."

"You just got back right?" Yami asked, figuring it was his turn now to ask a question. "I'd heard a few people mention your name when I'd pass in the hall."

A small blush touched the smaller boy's cheeks. "Yeah."

"Why were you gone? Went on vacation?" Yami asked.

Yugi froze, not blinking and taking in a deep breath. "…On vacation…" the phrase loomed in his head. If only he had been on vacation that would have been so much better. Without realizing it Yugi's palms began to sweat, his faced paled and to him the room grew silent. If only he'd been on vacation instead. Yami's words played in his mind again. Why was he gone? Yugi heard a siren from an ambulance, blue and red flashed in his vision, his heart raced quickly as he momentarily got lost in his own head.

Shaking brought him back to reality. "Yugi!" it was Yami. "Yugi are you alright?"

Yugi blinked and looked over at Yami, his eyes distant and far away. Yugi look back toward the front of the room, looking at nothing and everything at the same time.

The teacher had stopped talking and looked at Yugi who was pale as a ghost. "Yugi?" she asked trying to get his attention, not realizing Yami had alright tried. Yugi put his hands to his face and rested his elbows against the desk, trying his best to block out memories that seemed so real. His mother waving, his father hugging him. Their words of love that echoed in his head like a wolf howling to the moon, haunting and long lasting.

Yugi began to shake and his anxiety took over, tearing building up in his eyes. "I'll take him to the nurse." He heard Yami say, and although he was close he sounded so far away.

He didn't remember being walked down the hallway, the nurse calling his grandfather, or the car ride home. It wasn't until he was on the couch curled up with his grandfather that he was able to calm the rushing thoughts of his mind. Once he did reality set in and he cried. Not the sad kind of cry, or the hurt cry. It was the cry of a broken soul, the cry of memories best forgotten, the cry of someone completely lost in such a dark place that no one could reach them.

His grandfather hugged him closer, doing his best to sooth the boy. "It'll be alright Yugi, I told you it was just too soon. " he said petting him lightly. "It'll pass." He promised, but it didn't. It was only sleep that offered any relief that night.


	3. Chapter 3 The Visitor

It had been three days since Yugi had gone to school, or really gotten out of bed. The only reason he had left the house was to go to the doctors, which he was very sick of seeing. It was always the same, how was he feeling, was he taking his medications properly, relapses were to be expected, then the doctors getting together discussing what they thought was best for the boy. He was grateful for their help but deep down he was sick of it, all of it seemed pointless other than his nightmares had subsided.

A small knock came to his door and his grandfather's grey hair peeked between a crack in the door as he opened it. "Yugi, Joey is here…" he grandfather said hopefully.

"Tell him I'm sleeping." Yugi muttered rolling over so his back was to the door.

Yugi could hear his grandfather sigh and the door swing open slowly. Solomon came to sit on the edge of the boy's bed. "Yugi you should try to see your friends. Just because you had one bad day doesn't mean you should stay shut up again." He pleaded.

"I'm fine grandpa." Yugi huffed at him, pulling the blankets up closer to his face as tears threatened to form.

Solomon inhaled deeply and left the room leaving the door ajar. Down stairs Yugi could hear his grandfather talking to Joey, telling him to try back tomorrow and thanking him for stopping by.

"This is ridiculous" Yugi thought, "Everyone is acting like I'm on my deathbed." He sighed rolling over on his back. Looking around his room his eyes settled on the luminescent clock on his bedside table, it read 3:45, just about the time he would have been getting out of school. Thinking of school and his friends his heart ached, regretting his choice to send Joey away. As a twinge of sorrow shot through him the feeling vanished just as quickly as it came, an effect of the medication he was on.

Sitting up in bed Yugi's stomach growled in protest at the abuse it had been taking the past few days, only receiving small snacks and a cup of water here and there. Deciding he could use something to eat Yugi pulled on a pair of pajama pants that were black and left his rooms shirtless making his way quietly down to the kitchen.

Solomon had been making a sandwich and was surprised to see Yugi downstairs after seeming so distant just a few moments earlier. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Yugi said opening the fridge door and starring at the contents inside. His stomach growled again, urging him to eat. Yugi looked around and closed the fridge unable to find anything he wanted.

Solomon watched him with concern. He had made a point of going to the grocery store the day Yugi came home from school; stocking the kitchen full of his favorite foods, hoping it would lure him into eating something more sustainable than crackers or broth. His grandson overlooking the precooked hamburgers in the fridge was concerning to say the least.

Yugi felt his grandpa's amethyst eyes on the back of his head, watching him closely for signs of improvement. Moving pointedly to keep his back to the elderly man Yugi grabbed a banana off the counter and took a seat at the table, peeling and eating a bite without a word. He wasn't mad at the man, he just didn't want to talk.

With a sigh Solomon went back to making his lunch when another knock came to the door. "I'll get it." Solomon said as Yugi took another bite of his snack.

Yugi listened to see if he recognized the voice, a chill running through him and his heart racing when he heard a familiar tone.

"Mr. Moto?" came Yami's voice. His grandfather assured him he had the right house. "Is Yugi home?"

"I'm sorry, Yugi isn't taking visitors today." Mr. Moto began, only to be interrupted by Yugi who had shot from the table to the door, abandoning his half eaten banana on the table.

"It's alright grandpa." Yugi said as the man moved out of the way to let Yugi to the door, surprised by his grandson's sudden change of heart. Yami starred at the half naked boy, who apparently forgot he had no shirt on. "Come on in."

Yami's stepped into the small house, unknowing that it connected to a game shop in the front. It was Tea who had told him where Yugi lived, and how to take the back alley to get to the correct door. Her willingness to share Yugi's address had shocked him at first, but when Tea explained that Yugi had been hoping for a card game he understood her willingness to share Yugi's information.

The two boys stood for a moment awkwardly, Yugi looking down at the floor feeling embarrassed for what had happened at school. Much to his relief Yami didn't ask how he was doing, or anything about his episode at school.

"We never got to have our duel…" Yami trailed off questioningly.

First the first time in days a smile broke over Yugi's small face. "No, we didn't! Come on I have a dueling mat in my room." He said excitedly, turning his back to Yami and rushing up a flight of stairs that was a short distance from the door.

Solomon watched curiously from the living room as Yami follow Yugi up the stairs, wondering who this stranger was and how long Yugi had known him. The two had to be close for Yugi to get so excited that he didn't even introduce them. Regardless he was relieved that Yugi seemed to be happy for the moment so he didn't push the subject, and instead went back to making his lunch, smiling to himself as he did.

"This is my room." Yugi said waving an arm at his room, which was small and full of gaming posters, one drawing Yami's attention.

"I like your Dark Magician poster." Yami said impressed by the large print poster hanging above Yugi's computer desk.

"Thanks, my grandpa gave it to me when he had to take it down from the store window." Yugi explained as he pulled a box out from under his bed, rummaging through it.

"Store window?" Yami asked looking at the boy who was now pulling a folded piece of cloth out of the box.

"Yeah he owns the Kame Shop, it is at the front of our house. I'll show you later if you want." Yugi offered unfolding the piece of cloth and laying it out flat on the wooden floor. It was a layout of a dueling field, with squares to help keep the cards in order so the playing field didn't become a mess.

Yami's eyes turned down to Yugi who was sitting on the floor shuffling his deck. He watched the younger boy, curious about how happy he seemed when just the other day he'd seemed so lost.

"You have your cards on you, right?" Yugi asked looking up, breaking Yami's thoughts causing him to blush for some unknown reason.

Yami nodded and sat down across from Yugi, handing him his deck for Yugi to shuffle, as was appropriate with any card game. Yugi shuffled and handed his cards back, each quietly drawing 5 cards to start their game.

"Thanks for coming over. It's nice to have something to do." Yugi said playing a few cards, not wanting to admit how grateful he was that someone wasn't looming over him like he was about to have a break down at any moment.

"Of course, it'll be nice to play a game without a small crowd watching. Much to everyone's belief that does get really annoying." Yami said with a sigh as he played a card.

Yugi frowned. "I never thought of it that way. That would get pretty obnoxious wouldn't it? Having a cheer team would be funny though." He mused, a vision of cheer girls with pompom's all shouting Yami's name while doing a ridiculous dance brought a smile to his face.

Yami noticed the boy's smile and humored him. "I suppose it would."

The two played quietly for a while, each concentrating on their moves, and strategizing for the game. One would complement the other on a move, or laugh when someone was stopped with a trap card. Slowly their life points dwindled down, Yugi taking a lead.

"You are good at this." Yami said, surprised as Yugi took another of his monsters off the field.

Yugi smiled again. "Thanks! I've been playing for a while." He said trying to be modest.

Yami attempted to defend himself but on Yugi's next turn he played another monster, taking out his defense monster and attacking his life points directly, winning the game.

"Ha ha! Another win for Yugi Moto!" Yugi said triumphantly, not noticing the surprised look on Yami's face that he quickly hid away. Yugi must have not realized that it was once in a blue moon that he lost a game. Matter of fact he couldn't remember the last time he'd lost.

"We will have to play again sometime. I won't take it easy on you again either." Yami said gathering up his cards.

Yugi laughed. "Take it easy on me? Are you saying you let me win?"

"Of course I am." Yami said, fake sincerity thick in his voice.

Yugi rolled his eyes and was about to retort when his stomach growled loudly, apparently unhappy with Yugi's attempt at a lunch. Yugi couldn't help but blush, his cheeks turning a bright red. Yami looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hungry?"

"Uh…" Yugi's hand went to the back of his head, as it often did when he felt embarrassed and caught up with his words. "Something like that I guess."

Yami stood up, stretching his hands above his head. "How about we go grab something? I'm pretty hungry myself." He said glancing and Yugi's clock that now read 6:28. It had been a while since lunch at school.

Yugi smiled and stood, leaving his cards out on the floor. "Sounds great!" he said starting off for the door.

"Um, Yugi I think you are forgetting something…" Yami said pointing at the boy's care chest.

"Oh right!" Yugi said, the red color returning in his cheeks again as he quickly grabbed a shirt and pulled it on, ignoring that he still had pajama pants on.

The two made their way back down stairs, Solomon looking over to them as they opened the door and Yugi started to make his way outside.

"Where are you going?" he asked stopping the two in their tracks. Yugi poked his head back through the door to look at his grandfather.

"Out for something to eat." He said figuring it wouldn't be a problem.

Much to Yugi's surprise it was. "Not looking like that you aren't!" his grandfather said with a frown, looking at his grandson with disapproval.

Yugi stepped back into the house and took a look at himself. He did look like a mess. The shirt he had grabbed was wrinkled and mismatched his pajama pants, never mind that he did have pajama pants on in the first place, and rather than putting his shoes on he had slipped on a pair of flip flops. Now that he looked at himself he was glad that his grandfather had stopped him.

Yugi glanced over at Yami who seemed unbothered by Solomon's assessment. "I'll be right back…" Yugi said quickly running back up the stairs to his room.

Yami stood by the door waiting for Yugi to return, trying his best to ignore Solomon who was starring right at him. Yami's ruby colored eyes fell to the floor, trying to make a point of not looking at the man.

"I don't think Yugi introduced us." Solomon finally spoke, not bothering to mention how much the two boys looked alike. He was sure they had gotten enough of that at school.

"No, I don't believe he did." Yami confessed feeling rude. "I'm Yami Muto." He stepped forward to shake Solomon's hand, not wanting to make a bad impression.

"Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming over to see Yugi, it was nice of you." Solomon said grateful. Yami thought for a moment he heard relief in the old man's voice.

"Of course." He said with a nod, their conversation then cut short by Yugi who was coming back down the stairs, this time dressed in black jeans, a black t shirt and his favorite bracelet. Yugi had even taken a moment to straighten out his hair.

"Much better." Solomon said with a smile. Yugi just rolled his eyes and opened the front door again.

"See ya grandpa!" he shouted back as he rushed his way outside, realizing that he missed the sunshine.

Yami followed him, closing the door behind them admiring Yugi's up-lifting attitude as they made their way down the street and onto a sidewalk. Was Yugi always this happy? Obviously not, seeing as what had happened at school, but other than that Yami had to admire how carefree he seemed, and generally unbothered by much. He had yet to hear Yugi complain either, which was rare in a person. Normally people were quick to burden you with complaints about life.

"Where would you like to eat?" Yami asked, sticking his hands in his pockets trying to not let his thoughts wander too far.

Yugi shrugged. "There is a café down the street that I like. Have you been to many places around here yet?" he asked guessing Yami still felt new to the area.

"No, I have only ordered take out a few times." He confessed, thinking he should get out more often and explore his new home.

Yugi wrinkled his nose at Yami. "Café it is then."

The two made their way to the small café that rested on the corner of a block nearby. It was quite and small, a trait that kept Yugi coming back. The staff was also friendly, and that alone was enough to make Yugi spend more time than he should there.

"I'll buy, my treat since you stopped by." Yugi offered.

"Oh, um sure." Yami said taken back again by Yugi's abrupt kindness. Back in his old home finding someone nice like that was like finding a needle in a hay stack, I just never happened. Yami was used to people bumping into other people for a spot in line, eager to get their coffee and get back to work for their bosses, or shouting at one another from their cars for one cutting the other off. The kids weren't much different, especially if they came from wealth.

The two got their food and took a seat, Yami ignoring his food as he looked over at Yugi. He saw cute, Yami had to admit, much unlike his old boyfriend who had been equal in height and more athletic. Yugi had a wonderfully sweet look to him, and god help him if those large amethyst eyes were ever used against him.

"So what brought you too Japan?" Yugi asked, feeling Yami's eyes set on him as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"My mom got a job offer, she works with foreign relations." Yami explained. "We move around a lot but I'm hoping to stay here for a while, I like it."

"Yeah Domino is a nice place once you get the hang of it." Yugi agreed, picking up a French fry and popping it into his mouth. His stomach almost turned in delight at having something whole to digest, and it wasn't until then that Yugi realized how bad he'd been neglecting himself over the past few days. A small feeling of guilt crept up in him, but he pushed it aside.

"So it's just you and your mom then?" he asked Yami, trying to keep focused on something other than how he was feeling.

Yami nodded as he finished taking a drink of soda. "Yes, I don't mind though. It makes for a quiet house"

The two finished their dinner, or lunch for Yugi depending on how you looked at it. They spoke of small things like school friends, homework, and duel monsters. Yami was careful to stay away from more personal subjects, worried that is may set Yugi off again and wanting to stay guarded himself. He was curious about the younger boy. Out of the many people at Domino High school Yugi had been the first person Yami was interested in talking to, and now he was glad he made the choice to go over to Yugi's house.

Once they were done the two boys went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up tomorrow at the park, seeing as it was Saturday and they had the day off school. Yami went to the left to walk home, and Yugi to the right, the two walking away with their back to the other.

To Yugi this was a good thing, that way Yami couldn't see the huge grin that was across his face. Yami's friendship was like a breath of fresh air to him, free of past worries and odd looks of concern. The smile followed him all the way back to his house and when he got into the door his grandpa greeted him from the top of the stairs, and basket full of laundry in his hands.

"Here grandpa, let me get that for you." Yugi said rushing up to relieve him of the burden.

"Yami seems very nice." Solomon said to Yugi as he stood there holding the basket of clothes.

Yugi nodded in agreement. "He really is, I thought it would be nice for him to make a new friend. He is new here from America so I'm sure things must be different for him."

"That would be difficult I'm sure." Solomon agreed. "Well, he is welcome over any time."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks grandpa. I told him I would show him around the store sometime too, he loves duel monsters!"

Solomon returned the smile. "Of course, maybe I can show him a few of the rarer cards I have stashed away."

"Thanks grandpa that would be great." Yugi said taking the laundry to the laundry room and putting the clothes in the washer.

When he came back to the hallway Solomon had disappeared back downstairs so Yugi made his way to his room and flopped on his bed, kicking his shoes off on the floor surprised that his grandfather hadn't shunned him for not taking them off at the door.

Yugi rolled over on his bed, looking at his cards that were still set out on the floor with a smile. He couldn't explain it but he was excited to see Yami tomorrow and get to know him even more. To talk to him and learn about what he liked or didn't like, anxious to see what fun would come tomorrow. In the middle of his thought Yugi drifted off to sleep, somewhere in the middle of excited and anxious. For the first time in days he didn't have a nightmare and slept soundly, dreaming of duel monsters and his new found friend, Yami.


	4. Chapter 4: Gone Fishing

The next morning Yugi woke quickly. It wasn't the typical stirring that was common for the young boy. Normally it took him a good 30 minutes to get out of bed and ready for the day, and it wasn't until almost noon he was really awake. This morning proved to be the exception, as Yugi was not only out of bed early for a Saturday, he was fully dressed and had eaten breakfast by 9:30. His grandfather watched him quickly eat his meal and rush out the door with a quick goodbye, leaving the older man with a puzzled look on his face.

The day promised to be warm, the sun already stretching its ray's to heat up the morning. It was a perfect day to be lazy in the shade, or go for a swim. Yugi made his way to a nearby park to wait for Yami. Yugi thought it was a perfect spot, having a large lake, surrounding woods and a large open field. He quickly picked a spot under a tree and sat down, leaning his back against the tree.

Just as he was about to close his eyes a familiar voice caught his attention, making him sit back up and glance around.

"Joey I told you to quit talking so loud!" Tristin shouted smacking his friend in the arm with something Yugi couldn't make out.

Joey retorted loudly and Yugi smiled, getting up off the grass. The two boys were sitting on the edge of the lake, each having a fishing rod in their hands. In all his years Yugi had never seen them fish, so either they were incredibly bored or just being stupid…probably a health mix of both. He walked over to the two quietly, watching as Tristin told Joey to shut his big mouth or he'd scare away all the fish.

"Yea well I'm not the one doing all the yelling…." Joey muttered glaring away from Tristin.

Yugi smiled. "Joey, you yell even when you don't mean to." He said startling them both.

"Yug'!" Joey said dropping his fishing pole on the ground. "What're you doin' here?!" Both the boys look bewildered to see Yugi out and about, with a smile on his face after being absent for three days.

"I came to meet up with Yami." Yugi explained taking a seat next to Tristin.

"Yami?" Tristin questioned looking slightly confused. "You mean that kid that always wins the duels at school?

Yugi nodded. "Yup."

A flash of confusion crossed Joey's face. "What're you doin' hangin' out with him?"

Yugi shrugged. "I dunno, he seemed nice enough so I figured why not. It always sucks to be the new kid too. It never hurts to be friendly you know."

Tristin and Joey glanced at each other and shrugged. "Whatever." Tristin said, figuring Yugi could do what he wanted.

"Why are you guys fishing?" Yugi asked, thinking it was time for him to do a bit of questioning.

"Bag of brains here made a bet with his sister he could figure out how to catch a fish." Tristin explained like it was a perfectly good reason to pick up a sport.

Joey snorted. "Trinity never thinks I can do anything right. I'll show her!" he said clenching a fist together triumphantly like he'd already won the bet.

Yugi blinked a few times and at that moment Joey's fishing pole twitched. Joey, Tristin and Yugi looked at the pole as it gave a giant lurch forward.

"Get it!" Yugi shouted making a dive for the pole, lurching over Tristen's lap causing him to shout and drop his own pole.

Yugi came up short as always and Joey dove forward, also missing the pole by just a few inches. Joey scrambled forward quickly chasing after the poll and it made its steady way to the water. He made one final jump forward and snatched at the pole, missing again as it disappeared into the lake, leaving Joey crest fallen starring into the water.

"Aw no! No, no, no!" he shouted hitting the grass with his first. "That was my dad's fishing pole!" he cried.

Tristin shook his head watching Joey as he unleashed a stream of curses at the water and Yugi laughed a healthy laugh, one that came from the stomach and made its way up filling you with nothing but good feelings.

"So much for your bet." He laughed harder, tears building up in his eyes.

Tristin held back a chuckle as Joey turned toward Yugi with a glare and proceeded to tackle him. "I'll so you funny!" he said putting Yugi in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles against Yugi's head.

"Ow! Joey that hurts!" Yugi said trying to get away but still laughing. Tristin just shook his head and went back to fishing, ignoring the two.

Yugi wiggled his way out of Joey's grasp, Joey sitting on the grass with a sour look on his face.

"Oh cheer up Joey, I'm sure your dad won't be all that mad." Yugi said after he finally caught his breath.

Joey shrugged and looked over at the lake, wishing he could dive in a give the fish that stole his pole a thing or two. "Stupid fish…" he muttered looking down and tracing small circles in the grass with his knees pulled up to his chest. Now he would have to hear his sister tease him all week.

"Woa hey, I think I got something!" Tristin said startleing both Yugi and Joey.

"Really?!" Yugi asked standing up and going over to Tristin. Sure enough Tristin had a tight line. Something was fighting to make its way into deeper water, away from the threat it knew loomed at the surface.

Joey joined Yugi to watch, excitement evident on his face. "Reel it in Trist! You can give it to me and I'll tell Trinity I caught it!" he said, his cheeks flushing red as he laughed slightly and put a hand up to his head.

"What?!" Tristen shouted, dropping his rod forgetting momentarily about the fish as he went to yell at his friend. "Why would I even think of doing that?!"

"Tristin the pole!" Yugi said making a dash for the pole. This fish seemed to be much bigger than the last as it pulled the pole right into the water without hesitation, leaving Tristin pale to the face and Joey frozen in place.

Tristin's eyes slowly made their way over to Joey in a glare. "Uh, you know Tristin maybe this isn't the sport for us." Joey chuckled nervously.

Tristin tackled Joey and proceeded to pin him down, rubbing his fist hard against Joey's had as Joey had don't to Yugi.

Yugi on the other hand sat on the grass laughing harder than he had previously, thinking it was hilarious that in arguing they both had managed to not only neglect to catch a single fish, but loose both their fishing pole too.

"You both can be so hot headed." He said between bouts of laughter as he watched them roll around the grass, Joey looking even more ridiculous as a twig became lodged in his hair.

As Yugi was calming down a shadow cast over him, causing him to regain control of him and look up. It was Yami, standing there in a black shirt with no sleeves, black jeans, a black leather collar and a pair of fingerless gloves on. "Those are your friends, right?" he asked.

Yugi looked over at Joey and Tristin and thought about how to answer that. He figured the truth would be the best. "Yeah, they are." He admitted.

Yami looked over at them, his eyebrows scrunching together in amusement. "What are they fighting about?"

"They both can't fish." Yugi said simply with a shrug. Yami gave him a brief look of confusion but let the subject drop.

"Are they going to be hanging out with us today?" he asked Yugi curiously.

"Maybe." Yugi replied getting up again to go over to Tristin and Joey. "Hey guys!" he shouted. "GUYS!"

They both stopped and looked at him. "WHAT?!" they shouted in unison.

"Yami is here." Yugi said pointing over to him. "Can we do something that doesn't involve you two yelling at each other?"

Joey snorted and shoved Tristin away from him. "Fine with me."

"How about we go swimming" Yugi suggested as Yami walked up to get closer to the group.

"Hey that sounds like a great idea!" Tristin said standing up.

Yami looked at Yugi quizzically. "Is there a pool around here?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, a few years about Joey and I found this spot up the river that is perfect, there is even a little ledge to jump off of." Yugi explained, pointing to where the river ended and dumped into the lake. "You just follow that upstream a while, it's a wonder no one else knows about it."

"At least we haven't ever seen anyone there." Tristin said.

Yami looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, alright then let's go." He said thinking it sounded like a good idea. Noon was slowly approaching and it was getting hotter, it wouldn't be too long before they would all be getting hot.

The group made their way over to the river and began to follow it upstream, pushing aside a few branches here and there, even climbing over a tree that had fallen down. As Yami followed them it was clear why no one came to their secret swimming hole. It was just plain difficult to get through, not to mention the poison ivy Yami continued to spot along the way. Careful to avoid it Yami followed Tristin around a large boulder wondering how much longer it would take to get there. They had already been walking for what felt like a half hour.

"Here we go." Yugi said pointing up ahead, Yami just seeing trees unable to find what Yugi was pointing at. They made a turn up ahead and came to an area where the river spaced out and calmed down. The water grew darker like it was in the lake, promising to be no less than 20 feet deep. Just a Yugi had said there was a large rock that loomed over the area, making a perfect spot to jump off and into the water. It really was a perfect swimming spot, with half the area covered in shade and the other half exposed to the sun.

"Wow." Yami said impressed. "I can't believe you guys found this place."

"Yeah it was Yugi's idea." Joey said as he began to take off his shoes. "We just got bored and wandered till we found it."

Joey and Tristin both took their shoes and shirt off, emptying their pockets and jumping into the water.

"Come on in you guys!" Tristin called after he'd swam from the shore line.

Yami blushed a bit at the invitation. Were all of Yugi's friends open like this? He remembered how helpful Tea had been when he'd asked her where Yugi lived. Maybe Yugi surrounded himself with good people, or maybe Yugi himself just attracted good people.

"Yami follow me, I'll show you how to get up to the rock." Yugi said going up the river a bit then heading up a small path that they had made the year before. Yami followed silently as they wove their way around and up the large rock coming out on top, the drop below being a good 15 feet.

Yami glanced down and felt his head spin. If there was any time to admit he was frightened of heights it was now, where he was faced with jumping off something. "Um, you know I think I'll wait." He said leaning back away from the edge, his knees shaking with relief as he did.

Yugi began taking off his shoes and socks, placing them neatly away from the edge of the rock. "What? Why?" he asked taking his shirt off. Yugi's shirt got stuck on his chin as he tried to take it off, which was perfect timing for Yami as another blush came across his face, this one deeper than the first.

When he had gone over to see Yugi the boy had been half naked answering the door. This hadn't bothered Yami at all, but it wasn't until he got home that he realized he had paid more attention to Yugi's bare body than he thought. Yugi had beautiful pale skin and while he didn't have much muscle he was lean, which complimented him nicely. Yami snapped himself away from his thoughts, forcing his blush away just as Yugi managed to get his shirt unstuck.

"Uh…"Yami stammered trying to figure out something to say in his absentminded state. "I just, I just don't like heights is all." He confessed.

"Oh come on, it's perfectly safe. We do it all the time." Yugi said half pleading as he took his shorts off. Joey and Tristin may have not cared if their pants got wet, but Yugi did, he couldn't stand wet, cold clothes.

"Um…." Yami didn't answer this time, trying desperately to not stare at Yugi who was almost completely naked right in front of him.

Yugi threw his pants and shirt on top of his shoes and without warning gave Yami a large shove, tipping him right over the rock.

"YUGI!" Yami shouted, waving his hands in fast wide circles trying to regain balance without any hope and falling over the edge. It was a twisting motion that made something catch Yugi's eyes, causing him stomach to turn.

There on Yami's belt was his dueling box. Yugi hadn't even thought about Yami having his cards on him. Yugi reached out to catch Yami's hand and for a moment relief flooded the boy as he caught Yami by the wrist. It was short lived as Yugi's balance wavered causing Yugi to fall over with him.

The two tumbled over the rock and crashed into the water below, both surfacing at the same time. "Yami your cards!" Yuig spat out as soon as he got a breath of air.

Yami was in such a haze of fear that it took him a moment to realize what Yugi was talking about. Squinting his eyes at Yugi in a glare he swam over to the swallow water where he could stand and took his belt off, Yugi close behind him watching with dread, knowing in his heart that all Yami's cards were ruined.

"Yami I'm so sorry-" Yugi started to say, feeling his heart drop. Even Joey felt bad for him, it took a lot of work to compose a good deck of cards.

Yami smirked as he opened the deck box and turned it upside down and water fell out, not a single card in sight. "Oops, I guess I left them at home on accident." He said with a smirk, feeling like he had gotten back at Yugi for pushing him.

Yugi's jaw dropped and he jumped forward to grab Yami by the shoulders and pull him into the water, making the taller boy topple over into the water. "You did that on purpose!" Yugi accused.

"You pushed me off a rock!" Yami retorted.

Tristin rolled his eyes as he swam around on his back. "It's not like he pushed you to your death or anything."

Yami sent a splash flying toward Tristin hitting him in the face, making his arms and legs flail when he was caught off guard. He tossed his belt with his dueling box on the shore and swam away from Yugi, talking to each of the boys getting to know them.

It turned out Yami wasn't the only one from America in their group. Joey was from New York, his family haven moved to Japan when he was just 11. Having someone to relate to in that way was nice, not many people understood the stress of such a large change.

Tristin was much kinder than Yami had expected and Yugi was, well, Yugi. He was kind, laughed often, and smiled a lot. It was nice, like a cold breeze in a hot room.

The group of boys lingered at their swimming hole for a good part of the day. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Tristin and Joey said good bye, grabbing their shirts as they made their way back to Domino for some lunch.

"If you guys want to meet us we will be at the pizza place!" Joey shouted back before walking into the thick brush of the forest.

Yugi waved goodbye to them and flopped back in the water, floating around quietly.

Yami was sitting on the shore, watching Yugi swim. Now that it was just them he wanted to take the opportunity to get to know Yugi a little better, he was just unsure of how to do it. Yami may have had a strong love for games, but that didn't mean he was great with talking to people he didn't know. He glanced down and stuck his feet into the water then looked back at Yugi, smiling to himself as he did. Today was shaping up to be a good day so far, now if only he could find a way to talk to Yugi.


	5. Chapter 5 The Polite Arguement

Yami laid flat on the grass, taking his feet out of the water this thoughts drifting here and there. Occasionally he heard Yugi splashing about making Yami smile to himself, adoring how much he younger boy loved to swim.

An idea popped into Yami's head causing him to sit up. "Hey Yugi. How about we head back to my house?" he suggested, thinking it would be great if Yugi could meet his parents and see his room, just like Yugi had shown him.

Yugi looked over at him and dropped a crawfish he had found back in the water. "Sounds good to me, mind if we get some lunch on the way?" he asked swimming to the shore by Yugi and climbing onto the bank out of the water.

Yami shrugged. "We can if you want, but I have plenty of food at my house too."

"Yeah that works for me, just give me a second." Yugi said going around to the path that lead to the top of the large rock where Yugi had left his clothes. He shook them out to rid them of any bugs that may have crawled up them before putting his pants and shirt back on. Nothing was more annoying than wet socks and shoes so he left them off for now, tying them together and slinging them over his shoulder as he made his way back to Yami barefoot.

"Are you sure you won't cut your feet on a rock?" Yami asked following Yugi out of the forest, a slight hint of concern evident in his voice.

"I'm not worried about." Yugi said giving a one shoulder shrug. "You said you live close, right?"

Yami nodded. "Yes, not too far from here at all. You're sure you don't have to be home or anything?" he asked, worried his grandfather may get upset at Yugi's sudden disappearance.

Yugi shook his head. "If he does I have my phone." He explained.

The two talked of small things as they walked, such as school experiences, funny friends and favorite TV shows. It came as no surprise to either when they found that they both had a love for watching duel tournaments either.

"So, what about girlfriends? You've had a few of them before I assume?" Yami asked, trying his best to be nonchalant about the subject.

Yugi blushed and looked down at the ground as they rounded a corner. "I guess." He said shortly, his voice quiet.

Worrying he may make Yugi uncomfortable Yami didn't push the subject and quickly moved on, bring the topic back to duel monsters as they walked the next few blocks to his house.

Yugi had been so involved in their conversation he had failed to notice the neighborhood they were now in. It was full of large houses with big yards, mansions with huge drive ways, and in front of every house their stood a fancy car, one that you didn't even want to get to close to if you looked at it. The young boy looked around, puzzled to think that Yami lived in such a community.

"You live here?" he asked puzzled.

Yami nodded. "People see it as a big deal but I don't. Sometimes, if I'm feeling really bad, I won't take the trash out on Tuesday!" Yami said giving a fake gasp.

Yugi chuckled. "How terribly daring of you." He mocked, playing along with Yami.

"I know. The Home Owner's Association will be sure to curse my name for years. "Yami sighed.

The two came to a large black gate, a family crest posted in gold plating on the front. Where the gate ended a large, tall brick wall began, blocking the view of the house completely. Yugi's eyebrows raised in admiration but he kept quiet, not wanting to make Yami feel awkward about his family's fortune. He guessed if Yami wanted him to have known he'd of told him sooner, and almost no one was school knew he was sure.

Yami punched a few numbers in on a pad by the gate and it slowly sung open, the two slipping through not bothering to wait for it to open completely. It was then Yugi couldn't help the look of shock on his face. Behind the gate and wall was a large front yard, well groomed with a beautiful row of bushes and flowers lining the bottom of what could only be described as a mansion. The grass was mowed in a pattern, there wasn't a weed in sight, and some of the flowers were ones that Yugi had never seen before. The house was simple but huge, made of light red bricks with large sun windows that allowed plenty of light into the house. It was amazing, but despite of this Yugi didn't feel jealous or envious of Yami in anyway, he was happy for him.

"Wow, this must be nice." He said unable to resist himself.

Yami did his best to not look embarrassed. "Yeah, thanks." He said unsure of what else to say. He didn't want to look pompous or arrogant so he left it alone, opening one of the large wooden double doors to the front of the house.

"Woa…." Yugi said starring as they entered the house. All wooden floors, a grand staircase, a chandelier, this place was ridiculous! It could have easily been compared to a museum.

"I promise you, it really isn't as great as it seems." Yami muttered tossing his keys down on a table near the door.

Out of no where a man in a black suit swept forward to snatch Yami's keys off the table, starling Yugi causing him to jump which in turn made Yami frowned.

"Jarvis I told you to stop doing that." Yami said clearly unhappy.

"Sorry Master Muto, orders from your mother." He man said bowing deeply as he placed the keys on a hook near the door and backed away to another room.

Yugi watched, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Is he always around like that?" he asked.

"If he bothers you just yell at him, he takes his job way too serious." Yami said understanding perfectly well why Yugi felt uncomfortable. It was one big reason he didn't bring friends over, it was bad enough having all your things starred it, then to top it off with a stalkerish butler just made it worse. "Come on, I'll show you my room."

The two went up the large stair case up to the second floor, passing a few rooms until they came to the end of a hallway. Yami swung the door open. "This is my room." He said letting Yugi in.

Yugi had expected it after seeing his house, so he wasn't surprised at the vast room, which could have fit 4 of his. Yugi smiled looking around. "It's nice." He said admiring it. Yami had large windows to allow the sun in and keep the warm pleasantly warm. One of the windows even looked like it opened up onto a porch. His bed was large and looked inviting with soft pillows and blankets, and not far from that was a full desk, complete with a computer, printer and a few books. Looking around Yugi always say Yami had his own bathroom, and unable to control his curiosity he went to take a peek.

"Woa." Was all he could say. Not only did Yami have his own corner hot tub/bath but he had a huge shower, on that had water that could spray in all directions, and natural stones on the floor that must have felt wonderful once the water heated them up.

"Now that I can agree with." Yami said with a laugh sitting on a ledge that came out to make a nook large enough for two people. This had been an addition Yami requested when the house the built, that way he could sleep under a window if he wanted and look outside. He tossed a few pillows on the floor and looked for the remote to turn on the large screen TV that was hanging on the wall while Yugi looked around. Kicking his shoes off his feet Yami leaned back and stretched out, his muscles feeling achy from swimming so long for the day.

Once Yami was done starring at Yami's bathroom he turned to face him from the other side of the room, wanting lunch but embarrassed to actually ask, he didn't want to feel like a burden. Instead he went and sat next to Yami, and right on cue his stomach gave a loud growl causing Yugi to hold his stomach and lit up bright red in the face.

Yami laughed slightly at his reaction. "I forgot you wanted lunch." He said apologetically.

"Oh it's alright, really." Yugi said trying his best to not be a bother.

"Watch this." Yami said with a slight smile picking up the remote again.

It was then that Yugi realized the remote wasn't your everyday average remote. There was rather large and bulky, which a speaker box on the top next to the power button. Yami pushed a tan button that had a speaker on it and the remote beeped loudly in response, sounding like a walkie talkie.

"Yes, Master Muto?" came the voice of Jarvis.

Yami smirked at the shocked look on Yugi's face. "I think we'd like some lunch." Yami said, making a point of sounding bossy.

"Anything in particular sirs?" he asked.

Yami thought for a moment and looked over at Yugi for an opinion. He only shrugged at Yami offering no help.

"Just some sandwiches and fruit…and sodas….maybe some chips too." Yami added the last two as after thoughts.

"Right away sirs." Jarvis replied, the remote going silent.

Yugi blinked a few times. "No way this is how you live."

"I make it a point to keep Jarvis busy." Yami said with a frown.

"Why?" Yugi asked seeing Yami's sour expression.

Yami sighed a sat up. "My mother uses him to spy on me, and it really gets annoying. I've caught him going through my things before, and my car."

"You have a car?!" Yugi asked, startled by the statement. Yami nodded like it wasn't a big deal. "Why haven't I seen you drive it?"

Yami shrugged. "I don't like showing off. Besides walking is good for you." He explained.

Yugi frowned. "Well, I understand your reasons for not liking Jarvis, but I don't want to have him wait on me." He said shyly.

Yami looked from the TV to Yugi, a feeling of guilt settling in to his heart. Leave it to Yugi to look at the more sympathetic side of things. He smiled slightly.

"If it would make you feel better we can go downstairs and get the food." He offered.

Yugi smiled back and nodded. "It would. Besides Mr. Exercise it's good for us." Yugi said giving him a playful shove.

Yami rolled his eyes and got up, kicking his shoes against the wall so he wouldn't trip over them when he wasn't paying attention. "Whatever you say."

They both went into the hallway and as they made their way to the staircase Yugi almost ran headfirst into Jarvis as they rounded a corner, the middle-aged man fighting to not spill the tray of food he had in one hand while keeping the bottle of soda in his other.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" Yugi shouted reaching out to help steady him. "I didn't even see you." He stammered as he took the soda out of his hands.

Jarvis used his now free hand to grab onto the tray, keeping sandwiches and fruit from flying all over the floor. "No worries at all young master, it was my fault entirely!" he said trying to wave away Yugi's apology with a free hand.

"Please let me help." Yugi said thrusting the soda bottle into Yami's hands and taking the tray from the butler, Yami watching in amazement as the polite argument between the two ensued. Yami blinked as he watched the two play tug of war over the tray of food, laughter bubbling up inside of him at how ridiculous they both looked.

"No, I insist!" Jarvis said trying to pull the try back.

Yugi tugged on the tray harder. "Really it isn't a problem."

Jarvis gave another good pull on the tray and that was the end of it, the tray slipping from Yugi's grasp. The sudden release took Jarvis by surprise, causing him to yank the food back quickly toward himself, splattering food onto the floor and all over his clothes and face.

This was a breaking point for Yami who doubling in laughter, placing a hand to the wall to balance himself. He dropped the bottle of soda on the floor and wrapped his arm around his stomach as he heaved with heavy laughter. A glance up at Jarvis sent him laughing harder, making it difficult to breath. Even Yugi had a hard time keeping a straight face.

"I'm sorry…" he said a smile trying to fight it's way onto his face.

The butler just sighed at he picked up a good part of the mess, placing it on the tray and going back downstairs.

Yugi scratched the back of his head, feeling bad he'd made such a mess of things when he was only trying to help. He looked over to Yami who was just now gaining control over his laughter as he wiped a tear off his face. "It's not that funny you know." He muttered. "Where is the vacuum so I can clean this up?"

Yami tried his best to not break into laughter again. "Yugi….that was hilarious." He said cracking up a bit. "I mean really funny. Aside from a polite argument over being polite he had . ." Yami said putting emphasis on the last part and laughing again.

Yugi frowned at Yami, snatched up the soda and marched off to Yami's room, locking the door behind him causing Yami to run face first into the door as he expected to turn to doorknob and have it open.

He banged on the door. "Oh come on Yugi open the door." He said with a laugh, finding the whole situation to be funny. The door didn't budge. Yami rested his face against the door, his skin pulling up as his face slid down the door a bit. "Yuuuugggiiii."

He wanted a few seconds longer before giving up and going back down the hallway. Reaching up above a doorway he pulled down a key and went over to his room and unlocked the door, stepping into his room only to be battered and abused by a pillow.

"You-shouldn't-be-a-jerk!" Yugi said between taking whacks at Yami with the pillow.

Yami laughed again and when Yugi went to hit him down a final time he grabbed the pillow and snatched it out of his hands, showing for the first time how strong he was in comparison to Yugi. The younger boy huffed and crossed his arms. "Really you should help me clean it up."

Yami rolled his eyes and dropped the pillow he was holding on the floor. "Yugi it is his job, he gets paid to go that kind of stuff. He gets paid well at that!"

"I don't care." Yugi insisted crossing his arms.

Yami sighed and rolled his eyes again, giving in to Yugi's persistence. "Fine." He said leading Yugi down the hall to a small cupboard that had a few cleaning supplies, extra towels, a broom, vacuum and a trash can. Yami took the vacuum out and quickly cleaned up the extra mess.

While Yami was finishing up Jarvis walked up with a fresh plate of food, getting ready to tell Yami off for cleaning up.

"You can put it in the bedroom." Yugi cut in with one of his best smiles before Jarvis could say anything. Yugi pointed toward to room as to tell the man not to argue and he didn't, stepping carefully past Yami going to his room with a glace back at the door. Yugi could have sworn he was a friendly smile on the man's face when he glanced back to look at him before disappearing into the room with their food.

"There, are you happy now?" Yami asked shutting the vacuum off and placing it back into the cleaning closet.

Yugi nodded and followed Yami back into the room, making his way over to the plate of food that was sitting next to Yami's computer.

The two sat back by the window enjoying their late lunch, laughing at a few things on TV and talking, taking time to get to know one another. It was easy for the both of them, like they had been friends forever. Yugi listened while Yami talked, and in return Yami gave Yugi his undivided attention when Yugi hinted for it.

A movie came on that they watched, and after just a minute of silence Yami glanced over to see Yugi curled up asleep next to him. Yami's heart gave a small flutter as he watched the boy, unbelieving that he was sleeping so close to him. Yami wondered if Yugi knew about his sexual preference if things would be different, if Yugi would have even come over at all, much less fallen asleep next to him.

He looked back at the TV, trying his best to not worry. Stretching out again Yami put their empty plates onto the floor by their feet and laid back on the pillows, his eyes growing heavy as he watched the TV, not knowing when he drifted off to sleep.

Hours later Yami's door creaked open quietly, light from the hallway flooding the now dark room. Jarvis poked his head into the door and saw both boys sleeping soundly, the TV casting color into the room. He smiled to himself, glad to see his young master with a new friend at long last. He wondered how long Yami would keep up his seclusion, and it was a relief that he seemed to be breaking his isolation.

Quietly Jarvis pulled an extra blanket off Yami's bed and spread it over the two boys, picking up their empty plates and food tray as he took one last look at the boys before closing the door, leaving them asleep for the night.


	6. Chapter 6: A Plan of Action

Yugi woke with a start, the phone in his pocket vibrating violently. Quickly he took it out to check who was calling, and not to his surprise it was his grandfather. Staying out till 8 was one thing, never coming home was another.

"Grandpa I'm so sorry!" Yugi said as he picked up the call, sitting up to talk not realizing Yami was next to him.

"Yugi where have you been?! I've been calling all night!" his grandpa shouted, worry thick in his voice. Yugi could tell that he had been up all night too, he felt terrible.

"I'm so sorry I fell asleep at Yami's." Yugi said desperately trying to explain to ease his worries.

Yami had woken up and was listening to the conversation, anxiety building up in him. He knew how close Yugi was to his grandfather, and he didn't want to be the cause of any trouble between them, or give Solomon reason to dislike him.

Solomon was silent for a moment. "You slept over at Yami's?"

"Yeah we went swimming with Joey and Tristen, then came back to his place for something to eat and I fell asleep. I'm really sorry, I will be home right away I promise." Yugi said feeling horrible, his shoulders slouched and head down as he held the phone to his face.

Yami heard Solomon sigh over the phone. "Take your time, I'm just glad to know you are alright. We will talk about this when you get home, okay?"

Yugi nodded and agreed, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

"Yugi I'm sorry." Yami said feeling responsible.

Yugi shook his head. "It's alright, it's no one's fault, I should have called him when I came over really, just to check in so he knew I was alright."

Yami still felt like he was to blame. "Well, can I drive you home at least?" he offered, hoping Yugi's quick arrival would ease Solomon if he was angry.

"Actually that would be great, if you didn't mind." Yugi said getting up and stretching, realizing that he had fallen asleep with his shoes on. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so tired, falling asleep like that without worry.

"Sure." Yami said sitting up and reaching down to grab his shoes and putting them on. The two made their way outside, Yugi stopping when he saw Jarvis to thank him for the meal he'd provided them with. Jarvis watched as the two went out the door, Yami grabbing his keys before he closed the door.

Yami lead Yugi into the two car garage and opened the large door, pointing to a red mustang that was parked to the left. "That's mine." He said getting it over with, waiting for Yugi's reaction.

Yugi looked at the car as they walked over to it. "I haven't seen this kind of car before." He said with a curious frown.

"We had it imported from America, it's the one thing my parents promised I could take with me." Yami explained, for the first time showing any hint of hesitation about the move.

"Oh…" Yami said letting the issue drop at they got into the car. Yugi looked at the interior of the car, admiring the leather seats and spotless black dashboard.

The car purred to life as they back out of the long driveway, the gate opening automatically for them allowing them out into the street.

Yugi sunk into the seat a bit, still drowsy with sleep. He yawns and looked out the window as they made the short drive to his house.

Yami pulled up in front of the game shop and turned the car off. "Can I go in with you?" Yami asked. "I feel partly responsible and would like to apologize."

Yugi blinked at his friend, startled that he cared enough about not just Yugi, but his grandfather too. "Sure if you want." He said opening the car door to get out.

The two went in the front and Yugi used a key to open a door in the back, one that lead to his house. "Grandpa, I'm home!" he announced as soon as he got into the door.

"In the kitchen!" came a reply, making Yugi smile. Of course he was in the kitchen, where else would he be? Surely not enjoying his late life by reading a book on the couch and taking it easy.

The two boys made their way to the kitchen, greeted by wonderful smells of breakfast. Next to the stove was Solomon, who looked from Yugi to Yami, his face gentle but accusing. "Take a seat." He said to the boys, and they did so at the table.

Solomon placed three plates of food on the table and took a seat at the table, letting Yugi and Yami sit next to one another. "So, what happened?"

"It was my fault really." Yami said quickly before Yugi could take any of the blame. "I didn't think to have Yugi call you when he came over to him house. I promise it won't happen again."

Solomon's eyes drifted from Yugi to Yami and the two held their gaze for a moment before Yami looked away and down at the table. Neither of the boys were touching their food.

The old man looked back to Yugi and much to their surprise gave a small, tired smile. "I can't say I'm happy about it, but I will let it slide this time."

Both Yugi and Yami seemed to deflate with relief. "Thanks Grandpa, I am really sorry." Yugi said feeling his appetite come back causing him to take a bite of eggs.

Yami looked over at the man, wondering if this was where Yugi got his caring heart. It was at that moment something occurred to Yami. Yugi had never mentioned his parents, and Yami had never seen them, not even a picture. He fought to keep a frown him his face, not wanting his facial expressions exposing his thoughts.

The three ate breakfast, Solomon asking a few questions about Yami. Where he had lived at in America, had he liked it, did he have siblings? It was polite conversation, but Yami couldn't help but feel like the man was secretly sizing him up, measuring weather or not he was worthy to be around his grandson. Yami answered quickly and to the point, always doing best under pressure.

He had lived in D.C., where it was busy and chaotic. Yes he had liked it, but he was glad to be in Domino thank you for asking. No, he didn't have any siblings, but he sometimes wished that were different as he got lonely and bored often.

Once Solomon seemed satisfied with Yami he took his now empty plate to the sink and washed it off, Yugi's eyes following the man as he stopped at the bottom of the steps to go upstairs. "I'm going to get some rest, Yugi if you stay out again at least text me, please."

Yugi nodded, not speaking as he had a large piece of sausage stuffed into his mouth. Solomon went upstairs and Yami took a bite of his food.

They both finished their meal and Yami helped Yugi clean up, not wanting to leave a mess after himself and making sure he wouldn't be a burden to anyone. "Well, I guess I will see you later. Do you have my number? You can text me later if you want to do anything." Yami offered.

"No actually I don't." Yugi said taking his cell phone back out of his pocket, adding Yami to his contacts. "I will text you later." Yugi promised as Yami left out the front.

Getting into his car Yami sat there for a moment before turning the car on, his thoughts rushing when he realized he was developing a crush on Yugi, but who could blame him. He was cute, kind, funny and lighthearted, he was perfect. The thought of what had happened to Yugi earlier in the week at school concerned him a bit, but he was sure it was nothing he couldn't handle.

What he needed to do was find more out about Yugi and his personal life. He needed someone who was close to Yugi, someone who wasn't afraid to talk and was too open to know when they had spilled a secret. He needed someone loud and outgoing. A smile broke onto Yami's face. He needed to talk to Joey.

Short chapter, I know. Just a little something for an update. Next Yami is going to talk to Joey and see what he can figure out about Yugi. The information just may surprise him.

Update to come soon, thanks for reading : )


	7. Chapter 7: Delt a Bad Hand

Yami started his engine and headed to a few places he guessed Joey would be. The park, the local pizza place, a game shop. It wasn't until his final stop he actually found him hanging out with Tristen at the skate park. Neither of the two skated but it seemed like they had joined a few other kids just to hang out for the day. Yami frowned to himself. He couldn't get anything out of Joey with Tristen around.

He turned his car off and sat for a moment, his car drawing looks from a few of the kids. Knowing Joey and Tristen would see him Yami thought quickly. "That's it!" Yami said to himself, coming up with an idea.

Just at Tristen and Joey's attention was drawn over to the parking look by the sight of the bright red car Yami stepped out, Joey squinting to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Yami?!" he called out to him, waving a hand in the air to make sure he was seen.

"Hey Joey!" Yami called back, locking his car as he walked toward the group of about 4 kids.

Joey looked from Yami back to his car. "Is that yours?" he asked apprehensively.

"No way, he boosted it." Tristen said partly as a joke and partly wondering.

"It's mine." Yami assured them. Not wanting to get drawn up into a long conversation about how and where he got the car he quickly started on his plan. "Hey Joey, I remembered that you like cards, so I was hoping we could grab a bite and look at trading." He said hoping it was an offer he couldn't refuse.

It worked just as Yami had hoped. Joey had perched himself up on a thicker part of a fence. He hopped down. "Yeah I can do that, you got your cards on you?"

Yami nodded. "Of course." He lied, knowing he did have some cards in his car but they were nothing impression.

"Awesome! See ya' later." Joey said waving goodbye to Tristen as the two walked back to Yami's car.

"Yami any chance I could drive?" he asked looking at the car with hungry eyes as they got closer. Normally Yami would have laughed and told him in his dreams, but today was different, he needed Joey to like him, to want to talk to him.

"Sure." Yami said tossing him the keys.

"Sweet!" Joey shouted unlocking the car and slipping into the driver's seat of the car. Yami got in and quickly put his seatbelt on, willing to bet his Dark Magician that Joey didn't even have a permit to drive.

'It's insured, it's insured, it's insure.' Yami thought to himself repeatedly as Joey started the car.

"Oh it purrs like a kitten!" Joey said throwing it into reverse and stomping on the gas. The car gave a violent jerk backwards almost throwing Yami into the dashboard.

"Joey!" Yami snapped at him when he slammed on the breaks. "Be gentle." Yami said, sounding much like a girl who was going to get her first kiss as he patted the dashboard.

Joey rolled his eyes and pulled out of the parking lot, more careful than he was before. Yami noticed Tristen starring as they left, a look of humor on his face. It took every bit of control for Yami to not roll the window down and give Tristen the finger, knowing very well that Tristen was mentally laughing at Yami's reckless decision to let Joey drive.

"So where we goin'?" Joey asked rolling the window down and perching his arm up on the ledge, swerving to avoid hitting the curb he was about to run into.

Yami's heart jumped to his throat but he kept his composure, thinking of a nearest place to eat so he could get the hell out of the car, and hopefully still have it in one piece.

He thought of Yugi's café and pointed out directions to Joey, thankful it was only a few blocks away. Not even wanting to test Joey's parallel parking skills he made Joey pull into the parking lot in the back, throwing the car door open and getting out quickly, thankful that was over with. It took a few steps for Yami's legs to stop shaking from the adrenaline that only the promise of near death can give.

Taking a deep breath Yami lead the way into the café, trying his best to put on a friendly face. "You can get whatever you want, my treat." Yami offered, Joey obliging with no questions asked.

Once Joey had gotten his lunch they settled in at a table by a window, Yami sipping the coffee he had ordered. "So, how about trading?" Yami asked after a minute or two.

Joey nodded chewing a big bite of his sandwich. He stuck his hand into a cargo pocket and pulled out a stack of cards, setting them down on the table. "Those are all the ones I have up for grabs."

Yami nodded taking his own cards out, handing them over to Joey then picking up Joey's stack of cards. He slowly looked through them, not really paying attention to the cards as he pulled a few out and set them on the table.

"So how long have you a Yugi been friends?" Yami asked casually, hoping he wouldn't catch onto his plan.

Joey shrugged as he looked through Yami's cards, impressed with his selection. "A good few years, since we were in middle school I guess."

Yami raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. He figured the two had known one another for quite a while, but he wanted to seem interested in attempt to keep Joey talking. "That is quite a while."

"Yeah Yug is a good friend, one of the best really. Any time things get hard I know I can count on him. I wasn't also so nice either." Joey admitted putting a few of Yami's cards down on the table.

This time Yami didn't have to fake his surprise, it came naturally. "Oh?" he asked looking from Joey's cards to him.

"Yeeeeaaahhh." Joey said not sounding too thrilled to be on the subject. "Tristen and I were kinda jerks back then." He confessed. "We picked on Yugi a lot."

Yami kept his eyes on Joey, a wave of anger pulsing through him at the thought of someone teasing or harassing Yugi. "Well, you are friends now." He said trying to push away his feelings.

"That is because Yugi is a great guy. He helped us out of a tight spot and forgave Tristen and me." Joey said, his heart feeling warm at the fond memory of the day Yugi and Joey's friendship really started.

Yami nodded listening to Joey talk. "That was nice of him for sure." He said going back to the cards in his hand, throwing a few more down onto the table in front of him.

"Yeah, it's a shame other people at school don't notice it more, they are missing a real pal." Joey said as if it were a crime on others for not noticing the small, shy boy.

Yami figured now has as good a time as any to get the real information he wanted. If Joey wouldn't tell him now he doubted he would for months. "Sure a girl or two has recognized how kind he is." He said keeping his tone neutral.

"Nah Yugi doesn't date girls, and his boyfriends have all turned out to be great big losers." Joey said unconcerned that Yami had asked.

Yami stopped shifting through Joey's cards for a moment when he said that, his mind stopping completely. 'Yugi is gay too.' He thought to himself, astounded. Yami's heart gave a flutter as he felt some sense of hope. Maybe he did have a chance with Yugi after all.

"That's a shame." Yami said trying to brush off what Joey said. He didn't need Joey to go running back to Yugi shouting about his crush.

Much to Yami's dismay Joey wasn't as air headed as he had hoped for, and that moment of hesitation in Yami caused him to look up from his cards, seeing the blank stare on Yami's face.

He leaned forward crossing his arms down to lean closer to Yami, a devilish grin on his face. "You like Yugi." He accused, it being more of a statement than a question.

"What?" Yami asked trying to sound confused, but he knew the blush that rushed to his face betrayed him.

"Haha, you like Yugi!" Joey said slapping the remaining cards in his hand down on the table. "Woa wait till Tristen gets a load of this."

"Joey please don't say anything." Yami pleaded. "I'm not even sure if Yugi likes me back, hell I barely even know him yet."

A large smile was still on Joey's face as he leaned back, looking all types of smug. "What's in it for me? I mean it is a pretty big secret?" he asked. Joey would have never really told, but he was enjoying getting a rise out of the all popular Yami Moto.

"I'll give you this." Yami said seriously, holding up his Black Skull Dragon card. Seeing it Joey almost drooled.

"No way." He said wondering if Yami was serious.

"Take it." Yami said handing the card over to Joey. "I don't need it anyway, and you mentioned before that you had a Red Eyes so you can use it more than me."

Joey took the card, his eyes wide as he looked down at it. "Woa, thanks Yami."

"Don't mention it." Yami said relieved that Joey hadn't reacted negatively about his true feelings toward Yugi. "I did have one question though, about Yugi I mean."

"Yeah sure. " Joey said looking up from his new card.

"Where are his parents?" Yami asked, knowing he was going into sensitive territory.

"Oh." Joey said, his face falling as he became quiet.

"If you don't want to say then I understand." Yami said quickly, not wanting Joey to feel pressured or uncomfortable. Yami knew if he had any chance with Yugi he needed to get along with his friend's too, plus he had taken a liking to the small group and didn't want to lose them.

Joey sighed, setting the Black Skull Dragon card down on the table, pushing his half eaten plate of food away and resting his arms on the table. "I guess he wouldn't have told you about that yet." Joey mumbled just loud enough for Yami to hear.

"What happened?" Yami asked, feeling like he already knew the answer.

Joey took in a deep breath and let it out, figuring it was best for Yami to know before he tried to get into a relationship with Yugi.

"They went on a vacation over the summer. Yugi had stayed back in the hotel room his parents went out to go grocery shopping. When they were pulling out of the parking lot someone hit them at full speed. They guessed Yugi's parents just didn't see him, since he was speeding. Yugi heard all the sirens and went to see what was going on and realized it was his parents being pulled out of the car and put into an ambulance." Joey explained remember how Yugi was when he came back. How lifeless the boy had been, how lost he was.

"His dad was driving and died right there in the car, his mom made it a few hours at the hospital but died too." Joey finished, Yami feeling like he had been hit in the gut.

"I see." Was all he said. What else was there to say? Sorry? Nothing seemed right for that situation.

"Yugi kinda lost it after that. Started thinking all sorts of dark things, wanting to hurt himself and other people. He didn't even know why either, it would just hit him. He wasn't sleeping and just cried all the time, saying he wanted to stop thinking and just go away. His gramps checked him into a hospital for a while and it seemed to help. The day you first saw him was his first day back to school after it all happened."

"Wow." Yami said picking up his coffee and tipping it around in his hand. "Did they say what was going on with him, the doctors I mean?"

Joey nodded. "PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. Solomon explained it to me like this. If Yugi gets too stressed, doesn't sleep enough, or something happens triggering a memory about the accident he kind of has a breakdown. Causes nightmares and violent thoughts and stuff. You'd never think Yugi would have thoughts like that, but I guess trauma does things to you, ya know?"

"That's terrible." Yami whispered to himself. "He seems alright though most of the time." He said to Joey.

Joey gave a small shrug. "Yeah, the PTSD isn't Yugi, it's just a balance that is off in his head, things he can't control. Yugi is still Yugi, see what I mean? He just has a tick now, that's all." He tried to explain

Yami looked at Joey, smiling slightly. Yami was grateful to Joey. Many people would have stopped talking to Yugi, abandoned him when this started. It took a real friend to know who someone was when that person was the most lost. "Yugi is lucky to have you and Tristin." He said wanting Joey to know that.

"Hey what're friends for, right?" Joey asked leaning back in his chair. "So have you told Yugi yet? That you like him I mean?"

Yami shook his head. "No, I wanted to get to know him a bit better, and knowing about his parents explains what happened to him that day in school."

Joey nodded slowly, as if thinking the past over. "Yugi will get over it, he's a strong kid."

"He is." Yami agreed.

"Come on, I better get back to Tristin before he dies without me." Joey joked standing up, gathering Yami's cards and hanging them back over to him.

"Keep them." Yami said handing Joey his cards back. "Those are more of my spares anyway."

"Really!?" Joey said looking at the large stack of cards.

"Really. I appreciate your help a lot. I'm sure in the long run Yugi will too."

The two left the café, Yami dropping Joey back off at the park where Tristin was sitting hanging out and drove back him. He tossed his keys down on the table by the door, Jarvis coming in right on cue to hang them up.

"Long morning Master Yami?" he asked.

"Yeah I guess." Yami said going up the steps to his room clearly not wanting to hold a conversation with the man.

Yami flopped on his bed and took his phone out of his pocket, realizing he had a text message. He must have missed it being caught up in his and Joey's conversation.

He touched the screen and saw it was from Yugi. '_Any plans tonight?'_

Yami sighed and dropped his phone down next to him on the bed, starring up at the ceiling. His feelings hadn't changed since his conversation with Joey, but he felt different now. He wanted to help Yugi, to make him realize he wasn't alone, a bad person, or screwed up. Yugi had been dealt a hard hand to play, as everyone would at one point in their life.

Yami picked is phone back up and text back. _'Nope. How about a movie at my place?'_ Looking at the message for a moment he hit the send button, his phone buzzing back almost immediately in reply.

'_Sounds great. No horror movies. : ) '_

A smile crept its way onto Yami's face. Joey was right. Yugi was still Yugi, he just needed to be around people who understood him, to be around people who loved him.


	8. Chapter 8:Everday

Yami waited by the gate of his house for Yugi and his grandfather. Yugi had insisted he had his grandpa drop him off as to not be a bother to Yami. Down the street headlights flashed in Yami's direction, his heart racing in anticipation. The past 3 cars hadn't been Yugi, but he was hoping this would be. A green car past, Yami's heart dropping again. He sighed and kicked a pebble around waiting.

A grey van pulled up and came to a stop in front of the large stone wall and gate. Yami could see Yugi's grandfather in the driver's side as the light flicked on in the interior when Yugi opened his door to get out.

"Don't worry Grandpa, I have my phone on me and I'll make sure it isn't in silent this time." Yugi promised as he closed the door.

The young boy came from around the back end of the van and Yami waved bye to Solomon and turned to punch the code in the open the gate to his house. "Thanks for coming over." He said with a smile to Yugi who waved his appreciation side.

"Oh please, thanks for having me." He said causing Yami to roll his eyes. That was so like Yugi, always trying to be the most polite.

The two went inside, Yugi taking his shoes off and placing them neatly by the door. Jarvis was nearby to correct any messes left around, and was pleasantly surprised when he came in behind the boys to find that Yugi had put everything in its proper place.

"So, what're we watching?" Yugi asked as he sat down on the ledge near the window.

Yami picked up a DVD he had picked out before Yugi came.

"Avatar?" Yugi asked wrinkleing his noise. "I haven't heard of that."

"You'll like it, it's about a person that can control elements. Come on I'll show you the movie room." Yami said leaving his room, waiting for Yugi to follow.

"Movie room?" he asked surprised. "What do you mean by movie room, like a theater?"

"You'll see." Yami said with a small smile as they went back down stairs then took another door that seemingly lead to the basement. Rather than an open large space at the bottom of the steps there was a dark room with a large screen at the front. Two leather couches sat nearest to the screen and behind them were two rows of leather recliners.

"No way." Yugi said in awe.

Yami tried to hide his embarrassment. "Yeah it is a bit much."

"I think it's great!" Yugi said going over and flopping onto a couch. "It's better than the movie theaters even!"

Yami smiled as he put the movie into the projector at the back of the room and went to sit on the other side of the couch that Yugi was on.

"So it's about a guy that controls the elements? What's he do, flood to world?" Yugi joked.

"No! He doesn't floor the world he tries to save it!" Yami said throwing a pillow at Yugi. "It happens to be one of my favorites thank you very much."

Yugi took the pillow that was thrown at him and wrapped his arms and legs around his, hugging it as he rested his chin on top. Yami glanced at him, wishing his arms were around him and not the pillow. He ripped his eyes from Yugi and to the screen, trying to not let his imagination wander.

For the first few minutes of the movie they watched in silence, till Yugi saw Appa, a flying bison that looks very little like a bison.

"I want one!" he exclaimed startling Yami.

"One what?" Yami asked not following his random outburst.

"Appa, of course." He said pointing to the screen at the animal.

Yami looked at the screen and blinked. "You want…a flying buffalo?"

"Duh. You could fly anywhere." He explained.

Yami wrinkled his nose. "I'd be way to cold up there."

"Well, if I were the Avatar I'd just start a fire and keep you warm." Yugi said as if it were a no brainer.

Yami tried to not let his mind get the better of that statement. "You'd like Appa on fire. Then you would have a fireball flying buffalo." He said looking over at Yugi with a straight face.

Yugi did his best to look horrified. "That is terrible!"

"You're the one that suggested it." Yami accused.

"I'd never do such a thing." Yugi said crossing his arms, pointedly not looking at Yami.

Yami scooted closer to Yugi just to get the better of him. "It was your idea." He teased

Yugi pushed him away, feeling for the first time how strong he was when Yami resisted. Not it was Yugi's turn to fight back his thought of Yami. Having much less control over his thoughts than Yami he couldn't help what came out of his mouth next.

"Geeze, what're you a rock?" Yugi asked feeling Yami's arm and shoulder which conceivably could have been a rock.

"Obviously not, rocks don't have faces." He said, thankful for the dark room that was hiding the deep blush he had.

"Humph." Was all Yugi said as he pulled away from Yami and sat back to watch the movie, Yami worried he had somehow made Yugi uncomfortable.

Halfway through the movie Yugi's phone because ringing in his pocket, so he took it out to see who was calling. "It's a text from Joey." He explained to Yami who was looking over at him curiously. "Oh wow, he got a hold of a Black Skull Dragon!"

Yami's blood ran cold. "You don't say…." He trailed off panic cursing through him knowing that Yugi was about to find out he talked to Joey.

"I wonder where he got it." Yugi muttered texting back to Joey. It didn't take long for Joey to text back and Yami knew what was coming next.

"You gave it to him?" Yugi asked looking at Yami in amazement. "When did you do that?" he asked knowing he would have heard Joey say something if they'd of done with when they were swimming, plus Yami had shown him that he didn't have any cards after he'd pushed him into the water.

"Well, uh, Joey and I had lunch earlier is all." Yami said unable to keep the nervousness from his voice.

Even in the dim light Yami could see Yugi's eyes squint. "What did you do that?" he asked suspiciously.

"No reason, I just wanted to get to know your friends better." He said quickly.

"What did you talk about?" he asked quickly, cornering Yami with every question.

"Uh, you know just things." Yami stammered.

"Like what?" Yugi asked, anger now mixing into his tone.

"Just things Yugi!" Yami pleaded, wishing Yugi would just drop it.

Yugi remained silent then abruptly got up to leave.

"Yugi wait!" Yami called after him, reaching to grab his hand and missing.

Yugi wheeled around to face Yami who swore he saw tears in the younger boy's eyes. "Yugi I'm sorry." Yami said feeling deflated and small.

Even though Yami couldn't see Yugi was shaking. Yami so far had been the one person to not push him and ask questions, the one person that treated him normal. "You know if you wanted to ask me things you could have, not gone off and interrogated my friends!"

Yami winced at the accusation, not realizing just how bad it was until Yugi had put it that way.

"You're the only one that doesn't look at me like a sad puppy dog, and you had to go and ruin that!" Yami yelled on the verge of hysteria. He was mad at Joey for telling someone his personal business, mad at Yami for trying to find more out about him, and made at the whole situation in general. It was bad enough people gave him sad looks when his parents died, did it really have to loom around him like a shadow every day? Every day he was reminded about his situation.

"It isn't like that." Yami said desperate for a chance to explain.

Yugi crossed his arms, ignoring a few stare tears that found their way down his cheek. "Oh really then please do."

"I didn't want to upset you more by asking you, and I really did want to spend some time with Joey to get to know him too. I gave him a bunch of other cards for helping me out. I'm sorry I just didn't know how to approach you. I felt like-like it would upset-"

Yugi cut him off. "What upset me? Like this hasn't? I have to go Yami." He said turning to leave again.

Yami made a grab for him, only this time his hand connected with Yugi's causing him to stop. He could feel Yugi's hand shaking in his, not out of cold or excitement but anger. "I am really sorry. Please forgive me." Yami pleaded one last time, desperate to not let Yugi's friendship leave so easy.

Tears continued down Yugi's face and he gave in, leaning into Yami's chest sobbing, his body heaving with grief. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just don't like talking abo-about it." he choked as his tears soaked through Yami's shirt.

Yami, slightly startled by Yugi pressing into him, put his arms around Yugi and did the only thing he knew to do, and that was hold him.

"It hurts every day. They say it will get better but it hasn't, and I don't think it ever will" Yugi whispered as crying took him over completely, preventing him from talking anymore.

Looking down at the boy Yami felt his heart sink and break, unable to imagine the severe pain he was in right now, pain that no one could fix or numb. "It's alright." He said trying to sooth him.

Yami lead Yugi back to the couch where he put his arms back around Yugi who crawled into his lap and continued to cry. He wanted to tell Yugi it would be okay, that things would be better, that he would move on, but Yami knew that was a lie. This was a wound only time would fix and heal. It would be a dark long road, but Yami knew from that moment forward he wanted to be a part of that road, to make sure Yugi was never alone again. "I'm here." He whispered putting his arms around Yugi tighter.

It took what seemed like forever for Yugi to calm down and stop crying, and when he did he seemed to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Yami slowly took his arms out from around Yugi and rested Yugi down on the couch. Not wanting to repeat a mistake Yami dug carefully into Yugi's pocket and withdrew his phone.

He stood up and stretched, glancing down at Yugi to make sure he hadn't disturbed him. When he was sure he hadn't he removed his soaked shirt and dropped it on the floor, not wanting to get cold. After a few attempts Yami figured out the pattern to unlock Yugi's phone and went out of the theater, heading back up stairs.

The phone rang a few times then a familiar voice came through the speaker. "Yugi, what's wrong?" came Solomon's voice.

"Uh, this is actually Yami."

"Is Yugi alright?" he asked.

"He is, he um, had a bit of an episode I guess you could say." Yami tried to explain, telling Solomon about Yugi's crying fit and how he was now sleeping.

"He should have some medicine in his pocket, just make sure he takes it when he wakes up otherwise he will start crying all over again." Solomon explained with a sigh.

Yami nodded even though he couldn't see. "Of course, I can do that."

"Thank you Yami, I'm sorry you had to deal with that." The man said sounding sorry for Yami.

Yami frowned. "It's alright, I don't mind at all really. Yugi is just going through some things is all."

"Well please call me if you need me to come get him, I will keep my phone close to me." Solomon said.

Yami told him that he would, and not to worry. The two said goodnight and Yami went back downstairs, finding Yugi still passed out on the couch sleeping soundly. Yami put the cell phone next to his shirt on the floor and laid down behind Yugi, unable to help himself as he wrapped his arms around him. Yugi's face was still wet with tears and his eyes were swollen, looking like he hadn't slept in days. Yami nuzzled his head gently against Yugi's back. "You will be alright." He promised, hoping that some part of Yugi's subconscious was listening.


	9. Chapter 9: A good reason for devorce

A noise from upstairs woke Yugi suddenly, his mind thick with sleep trying to grasp where he was, haven momentarily forgotten. Attempting to sit up he stopped abruptly, realizing something was draped over his ribs. Feeling around he quickly realized it was an arm, then he remembered that he was over at Yami's. He noticed the steady breathing of someone next to him, a deep rhythm that only came from sleep.

Conflict hit crashed over him like a wave. Had Yami meant to be so close, or had he fallen asleep on him by accident? Should he move and wake Yami up? Would he be bothered if he knew? Anxiety threatened to take hold when Yami's grip tightened around his chest, the sensation calming him down. It reminded him of his mother, how she would hold him when he was upset.

Yugi rested his head back down on the arm of the couch, relaxing as he tried to not fall back into the hole of depression that had robbed him of his night with Yami previously. Listening to Yami breath he matched his breathing, taking calm deep breaths, enjoying the warmth of Yami's bare chest against his back. He continued to breath, his mind quieting even more.

'People come in and out of our lives just as they should little Yugi." His mother's voice drifted through his hazy thoughts, remembering her soothing words. 'Everything happens just as it should, even if it hurts.' A clench of pain settled in his chest. He breathed deeply with Yami, his muscles relaxing as he fell quietly back asleep.

This time Yami woke, blinking a few times trying to give his eyes time to adjust. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh he glanced down at Yugi who was snuggled up in his arms, sound asleep and unmoving. Yami's ruby colored eyes scanned the room looking for the time, sure they had overslept and missed the first bell for school, not that he cared too much.

Looking back to Yugi he rested his lips against his neck, not wanting to startle him awake. "Yugi." He whispered. "Wake up."

Yugi's breathing altered but the boy didn't move. "Yugi." Came his voice again. A warm sensation came onto his neck from Yami's lips and Yugi's mind began to wake, mixing with a dream. It was Yami talking to him, telling him that he loved him, that he wanted to be with him, to hold him, to comfort him. Yugi could almost feel his arms wrapped around him. "Wake up." This time a soft shake made his eyes flutter open.

"Hm?" he mumbled, nuzzling his head into Yami's chest, still not fully awake. Yami's arms around him hadn't been a dream, he felt his comforting grasp as he turned around to burry his head into the boy's chest. Breathing deep it was the first time he noticed just how good Yami smelled. It was a wonderful mix of something spicy and what smelled like herbs, suggesting he spent a lot of time outside, or in a garden.

"We are going to miss school." Yami said trying to get through to his exhausted friend as he sat up, hoping that removing himself would get more of a reaction. That and Yugi being so close to him was making his head rush, and doing some not so flattering things to his body.

Yugi groaned in protest, reaching out to Yami to pull him back down onto the couch for more sleep. "No." was all he managed to say.

Yami rolled his eyes and pulled on Yugi's arm, wondering if he was always like this in the mornings. "Yugi come on." He pleaded.

With one last huff in protest Yugi sat up, head hung low in sleep, his mind beginning to wake as he began the task of starting a new day. "What time is it?" he asked looking over to Yami, making out his silhouette in the dark.

"I don't know." Yami said reaching down on the floor, grabbing around for Yugi's phone. The screen lit up at his touch causing him to squint, then widened when he caught the time. "Well, no school for us today." He said dropping the phone back to the floor and laying face up on the couch as if all his cares had suddenly disappeared.

Yugi frowned. "Why not?"

"It is defiantly 12:30." Yami said, sounding unconcerned. Smarts had nothing to do with Yami's distaste for school, he was what teacher's considered "gifted", being able to pick up on math and the laws of physics with no problem. In fact he loved History most of all, thinking it amazing how the world operated without today's modern conveniences.

No, intelligence wasn't the problem, it was school as a whole. The rules, the testing, the standards, the clear differences in teachers who enjoyed teaching and just wanted a pay raise from higher test scores. At his school in America Yami's teachers doted on him, he meant higher test results, which meant more funds for the school (more like the teachers). School was nothing more than a game in life, and Yami was but a pawn. He played the game well though, as always, and made sure to get by with high passing grades, but only the teachers who really cared about their jobs got to see Yami's potential.

"Oh no, I'm sure Tea and everyone will have thought I am sick again." Yugi said feeling guilty about not seeing his friends. The guilt triggered a thought, making him nearly jump out of his skin. "I didn't call my grandpa!" he shouted diving for his phone.

Yami sat up with an 'ooph' as Yugi jumped across him to get to his phone, knocking the wind clear out of him. "Yugi calm down!" he said gasping to replace the air in his lungs. "I called him last night." He coughed.

"You what?" Yugi asked freezing on the spot, his phone half way dialed with Solomon's number.

"I called him after you fell asleep so he wouldn't worry, he said it was fine." He assured Yugi after he caught his breath. Remembering what his grandfather had said he took the opportunity of Yugi leaning over him to dig into his pocket and pull out a medicine bottle. "He also told me that you need to take this when you get up too." Yami gave the small bottle a shake, the contents inside rattling.

Relief flooded Yugi and he dropped his phone back to the floor, taking the bottle from Yami and popping it open. Fishing his finger around in the bottle Yugi pulled out half a white pill and stuck it in his mouth, looking back and swallowing. "Ta-da! And I'm sane!" he joked.

Not seeing the humor Yami snorted as Yugi replaced the bottle back into his pocket. "You're not insane."

"Some days I'm not too sure about that." Yugi confessed, looking down at Yami and thinking how much he would love to be back in his arms.

Yami sighed and sat up. "Trust me Yugi, I've seen crazy and you're not it. You're damaged, but not crazy."

The words sunk into Yugi's head. 'Damaged, but not crazy.' He smiled to himself, thinking he would have to tell his therapist that the next time he saw him.

"Come on, let's go grab some breakfast upstairs." Yami said getting up off the couch and stretching the morning stiffness out of his muscles.

The two carefully made their way out of the dark room, cautious to not trip on anything in the dark. Light invaded the hallway, making the two step back and close their eyes. "It burrrrnnsss us!" Yami hissed causing Yugi to chuckle.

"It is enough to give you a headache." Yugi agreed pushing Yami to move forward up the steps.

It wasn't until they got into the large kitchen that Yugi realized Yami was still without a shirt, and for the first time Yugi got a good look at Yami. His body was beautiful, and not in the dramatic 'oh you're so dreamy' type of way. Even if Yugi had been straight he'd of been jealous, Yami had a body guys would kill for. Lean muscles stretched across his pale skin, evident but not bulging. Only when Yami leaned or moved the right way would you notice the extent of what good shape he was in. There wasn't an imperfection on his body, other than a small mark on his chest. Yugi squinted to get a better look and realized it was a tattoo, much to his surprise. Yami hadn't struck him as a tattoo sort of person.

"What's that?" he asked unable to control himself, haven spoken before he even realized he was doing so.

"What?" Yami stopped and looked away from the stove toward Yugi, then to himself when he realized Yugi was starring. After a moment he realized Yugi had been asking about his tattoo. The small mark was settled right between his shoulder and his collar bone, the black ink standing out against his pale complexion. "Oh that. It's my zodiac symbol, for a Leo."

Walking over to Yugi he pointed at it, giving him a closer look. Yugi leaned in and realized that he wasn't even looking at the tattoo, but was most lost in the fact that Yami was willingly standing so close to him half naked. Mentally he fought with his hormones that screamed at him to press his lips to Yami's chest, to tell him how beautiful he was and take him for his own. A battle raged in his head as he beat down his desires and nodded stiffly, trying to do anything other than make an attempt at seducing Yami.

'We haven't even talked about dating for crying out loud!' Yugi scolded himself mentally. This was ridiculous, it had been two years since he found himself so attracted to someone. Even when he acted on his pervious desired it had taken him months to build up the courage to do so. Yami was different somehow, Yugi felt like a magnet being torn into one direction, a train heading off the rails but not bothering to slow down.

Seeing Yugi stare Yami tried to hide his blush by quickly turning around and going back to the stove, causing Yugi to snap out of his daydreaming state.

"So what's for breakfast?" he asked trying to get his mind out of the gutter it had fallen so deeply into.

"Whatever you want really, I was going to make some eggs if you want one." Yami offered turning on the stove, settling a pan on top of the flames and going to get some eggs from the fridge. "You can cut some fruit up if you don't mind." He suggested as he went back to the fridge.

Yugi's blood ran cold as he thought about a knife. Glancing over to Yami (who thankfully had his back to him) he tried to fight off the sudden paralysis that gripped him. He hadn't told Yami about his inability to be around any type of sharp objects, or things that could be used as a weapon. It triggered something in his head, anxiety the doctors had told him, that caused him to think some pretty terrible things. The fear of having those thoughts about Yami threatened to engulf him when some part of his mind came up with a solution. "How about I cook the eggs and you get the fruit?" he said struggling to keep the panic out of his voice.

With his back still to Yugi he glanced behind him, despite Yugi's effort he could hear his voice shaking. Thinking it was best to not ask right now he just agreed, letting the subject go as Yugi hopped up out of his chair and went over to the stove. He two prepared their meal in silent, Yugi's thought far away, Yami watching him closely out of concern. Remembering what Yugi had said about people treating him too fragile Yami tried to not glance over too often, worrying he may offend him.

"Won't Jarvis get mad we are cooking?" Yugi asked as he slid the last egg onto a plate for Yami.

Stopping in mid slice Yami glanced around, knowing very well the butler would have been in here 5 minutes ago as soon as he smelled eggs cooking. When Yami thought about it he didn't remember the last time he cooked for something, even something as simple as slicing fruit. Yami frowned, leaning back to look around the wall into the hallway, searching for a trace of the man. "Normally he is in here ushering me out of the kitchen so he can do it actually."

Yugi shrugged and went over to the sink to clean the pan out, but Yami's curiosity still flared in him. This was far from normal. "It's kind of weird." He said stretching to get a father look down the hall, almost cutting his finger off in the process. "I will be back in a minuet." He said placing the knife down on the counter, leaving the kitchen and Yugi in search of the missing butler.

With a sigh Yugi flopped down into a chair on the kitchen counter, idly poking at the sunny side up egg on his plate, glancing so often at the knife sitting harmlessly on the counter. The first glance offered relief, Yugi finding his thoughts to be well under control and not spiraling into chaotic violent thinking. He didn't dare approach the item, but rather turned his back to it slightly, trying to avoid it like a shy boy with a crush in elementary school. Poking at his egg again the yolk burst open, spilling out into the plate.

Footsteps came softly down the hall as Yami came back into the kitchen, a puzzled look drawn over his face. "I really can't find Jarvis anywhere."

Yugi turned back around. "Is it really that unusual? Maybe he went out shopping or something." He suggested.

Yami shook his head. "No he leaves a note if he does. My mother pays him substantially to make sure he is around when I am. Believe me when I say he doesn't taking the job lightly." He explained as he finished preparing the fruit, putting the rest into the fridge and the other on the table.

"Call him then." Yugi said not quite understanding all of Yami's worry.

Nodding in agreement Yami started in on his breakfast, thanking Yugi for cooking the eggs, Yugi thanking him for the food in return. They ate in silence for a while, both still a bit drowsy from sleeping in so late.

Yami looked over to Yugi who was trying to cut his egg with his fork, smiling slightly when he became flustered at a particularly difficult bit of egg that refused to cut. Recalling last night's incident Yami's smile disappeared, guilt slowly rising. 'Damn you consciousness.' He said mulling over his stupid decisions.

"Yugi." He started feeling a need to sincerely apologize. "I'm truly sorry for going to Joey like I did, and I hope you can forgive me."

Giving up on his egg Yuig looked up, his amethyst colored eyes meeting ruby. Every word he said dripped with sincerity. An apology like that only came around once in a blue moon, and when it did it couldn't be ignored, or shunned away. It was true, Yugi was still slightly aggravated at not just Yami, but Joey too, but he knew deep down Yami hadn't meant any harm by it, nor was he trying to be sneaky.

"It's alright." He sighed. "You were just worried is all. Please don't do that again though, you can ask me if you have questions about something."

"I know that now, and I promise to never do it again." Yami swore to both Yugi and himself.

Yugi smiled at him. "Good. Now I have a question for you." He said, unexpectedly turning the tables on Yami.

"What?" he asked, figuring he owed Yugi that much after receiving his forgiveness so easily.

"Where are your parents?" Yugi asked quietly, hoping he wasn't asking too personal of a question too soon.

However Yami only saw this as fair, he had poked around about Yugi's family, at least Yugi had the bravery to ask him to his face unlike he did. "My father left years ago, my mother settled after the divorce taking a large sum of money with her because he cheated on her, not that I can blame him."

The lack of emotion in Yami's voice took Yugi by surprise. He had said it so casually, like it didn't bother him at all, as if he could care less. "What do you mean?" he asked trying to understand why Yami seemed so cold to the subject. Yugi would give anything to have his parents back, why would Yami seem to hate his so much?

"She is money hungry and air headed." Yami explained, his face growing dark and cold. "Currently my mother is in Egypt, taking a tour of the Pyramids while leaving the butler to care for her son."

Yami's strong face seemed like stone, unmoving and strong. 'I bet it kills him inside.' Yugi thought, studying him closely for signs that would confirm his suspicion. "How long ago did that happen, your parents splitting up I mean?"

He shrugged with one shoulder, slumping back into his chair as he lost interest in his food. "When I was 12. It was right around my birthday if I remember correctly."

Yugi looked down at his hands, rubbing his thumbs together. "What must really be hard." He whispered mostly to himself, but loud enough for Yami to hear. His parents left without a choice, both of his left of their own free will. Which was worse?

"Please don't feel sorry for me." Yami said looking at him incredibly. Here was Yugi, a boy who had everything ripped from him feeling sorry for Yami over his parent's crappy choices. It amazed him that Yugi was capable of such compassion when he was still hurting himself.

Unable to help his feelings Yugi shrugged, looking over to the floor. "You should call Jarvis and make sure he is okay."

His attempt to change the subject worked, Yami getting up to go retrieve his cell phone from the basement. As Yugi waited in the kitchen the sound of the front door opening caught his attention.

"Yami darling, I'm home!" came the shrill of a woman's voice. Yugi frowned deeply, wondering who the hell was calling Yami darling. A moment of surprise hit him as he felt possessive over his friend, but he felt like it was justified. Yugi had already determined he had a crush on Yami, so he'd be as possessive as he wanted to make sure no one got in the way of that. Like hell if anyone was going to hurt Yami on his watch.

The small boy stood up from the kitchen table and walked into the hallway that lead into the front landing of the house, an older woman standing there in a long fur coat. Her skin was an over burnt tan, he eye makeup thick, noticeable even behind sunglasses, and her hair was colored such a deep red that is was impossible to be natural. On her arms hung heavy shopping bags, and she whipped her head around to look at Yugi, who was standing there much like a deer caught in headlights as he tried figure out who this woman was.

"You aren't my Yami." She said sliding her sunglasses down her nose to get a better look at the boy standing before her.

Yugi shook his head slightly, still shell shocked by the look of the woman, who clearly spent entirely too much some at a beauty spa each week.

"Well," she snapped "who are you then?"

"Y-y-ugi." He stammered out at the woman's harsh tone.

"Yugi?" she questioned, starting to say something else as the sight of Yami walking down the hall behind Yugi caught her attention. "Yami baby, mommy missed you so much!" she cried, taking short quick steps as quickly as the tall black high heels she had on would allow.

Brushing past Yugi (more like shoving really) the woman wrapped Yami in her arms, not bothering to put her bags down as she gave Yami a sloppy, halfhearted hug.

"Hi, Mom." Yami said quietly. For the first time Yugi saw another side of Yami. He looked small and embarrassed like he wanted to go hide in a hole, not at all the strong, sure spoken Yami that Yugi was used to talking to.

Seeing Yami's desperation to get out of the situation he was in Yugi cleared his throat taking a step toward them. Both boys glanced at each other and Yami give silent thanks to which ever god had gave him Yugi Moto.

"Um, Mom this is Yugi." He said prying his mother off him and taking a step back. The woman took a step back, chewing obnoxiously on gum as glared down at Yugi.

"Well aren't you just a cute thing." She said then wholly ignoring him. "Yami you just should have come with me, you would have loved it. The shopping, the sun, it was simply amazing."

She shuffled past Yami into the kitching, dropping her bags down on the kitchen table.

'I'm sorry.' Yami mouthed wordlessly to Yugi, embarrassed and mad that she had disregarded Yugi so easily. She was more of a fool than he'd thought.

"Don't be, it's alright." He said trying to sound reassuring. It was unbelievable to think Yami came from such a mindless woman.

The boys pushed themselves up against the wall as she brushed past by them again. "Yami dear, why don't you help Jarvis bring the rest of my things in? Thank you love." He stopped just long enough to give Yami a kiss on the cheek before hurrying off into another room out of sight.

"There is more….?" He said incredibly watching her leave, the sound of her high heels clicking against the hardwood floor echoed behind her.

"That is your mother?!" Yugi whispered the best he could, still in shock over her rude behavior and general lack of interest or respect.

Yami just sighed and grabbing Yugi by the hand, pulling him out the front door not even bothered that he was still shirtless. A large limo was parked in front of the house and at the very back was a large pile of bags and suitcases. Drowning in the middle was Jarvis, who was trying his best to handle as many bags at once to help shorten his trips in and out of the house.

"Jarvis!" Yami shouted, the man giving a small yelp looking much like Yugi had earlier upon seeing Yami's mother. Yugi couldn't help but wonder if that was the effect she had on people, making them feel like a natural disaster had just blown through.

"Master Yami! I'm so sorry I didn't let you know I was leaving. Your mother needed me to pick her up from the airport and left me with no time at all to tell you." He explained quickly as if Yami was about to lash out at him.

A look of disgust mutated onto Yami's face. "Oh god, you had to ride all that way with her in the car?" he asked, as if the very thought repulsed him.

Jarvis only smiled weakly in response. "You poor thing." Yami muttered watching at Jarvis dropped a few of the larger bags, unable to keep a god grip on them as he made his way into the house.

With a sigh Yami picked up the fallen bags and went back inside, setting them down by the door. As much as he wanted to help Jarvis he knew he would get in the man's way, making his job harder. "Come on." Yami said quickly taking the steps up to his room.

"Yami, really there is no way you are related to that woman!" Yugi said spinning around to face him as soon as they got into his room, Yami making sure to lock the door behind them.

Yami laughed a bitter laugh. "Now you know why my father cheated on her."

"I'm not sure I'd go that far, no one really deserves that, but I can see why he'd of left." Yugi said taking what was becoming his usual place on Yami's large windowsill.

Yugi's compassion touched Yami again. Even after being rudely ignored by his own mother he still had no ill feelings. "I am sorry she was so rude." He said, feeling like he was off to a very apologetic kind of morning, or afternoon, whichever you wanted to call it.

"Ah don't worry about it. I'm just glad you don't act that way." He said standing up, putting his hand on his hips and flamboyantly waving the other around. "I just need to know if this purse matches well with my scarf, if not I'll just have to buy three more I suppose." He said putting on his best girly impression as he walked around swaying his hips dramatically as he walked.

Yami laughed, thinking that he sounded very much his mother, as horrible as it was to admit. "Just don't forget about the lipstick." He teased.

"Sorry, I'm not sure I can take it that far." Yugi confessed sitting back down. "Now what do we do? I feel like we are stuck here."

Glancing to his locked door Yami felt the exact same way. "Imprisoned in my own house."

"Any way we can get outside?" Yugi asked looking longingly at the sun that peaking in from the windows.

Yami pointed to a pair of double doors that could have easily been mistaken for a window. "Door to the porch is right there."

Yugi hopped up and opened the doors, inhaling deeply as a warm breeze rushed over him. Going over to the rail he looked down, seeing Jarvis in his never ending battle to get all those bags in the house. He jumped slightly when he felt Yami next to him, unaware that he had been approaching. "I feel bad for him almost."

"Me too…only almost though." Yami agreed then watching as his mother came out of the house.

"Jarvis, dear why don't you just have Yami and his little friend help you?" her shrill voice carried in the wind like a poisonous gas, making Yami's stomach clench in anger at how she spoke about Yugi.

They couldn't heard what Jarvis said, but Yami's mother stood arguing with him as he struggled to life a heavier bag. Yami and Yugi glanced at each other, both wondering if they should go down and help.

"You know, I have a better idea." Yami said before Yugi could get a word out. People always said that revenge was a dish best served cold, but Yami disagreed, he felt it was a dish best served wet.


	10. Chapter 10: Holding Back

Yami and Yugi both crept down the stairs, Yugi quietly trying to badger him for what he was up to the whole time.

"Would you be quiet!" Yami hissed, quickly taking large steps across the floor landing by the door, dragging Yugi quickly behind him.

Giving up Yugi followed obediently, Yami leading him to the back yard. "Over here." Yami said calling Yugi away from the pool he was staring at.

"You didn't tell me you had a pool." Yugi said looking back at the large body of water longingly.

"Didn't think I needed to." Yami said opening a shed and stepping in. He rummaged through a few boxes then shouted in triumph as he pulled out a bag fully of small multicolored objects.

Yugi learned closer to get a better look in the dark lightning. "What are they?" he asked squinting.

"What balloons." Yami said, a wicking grin spreading across his face.

"Yami I don't think-" Yuig started, seeing where this was going.

"Nonsense. "Yami cut him off, leaving the shed and going over to a hose that was wrapped neatly next toe house. "It will help wash off some of that horrible perfume she has on."

Forcing back laughter Yugi couldn't help but agree, she did reek stronger than a skunk.

Yami shoved the bag of balloons into Yugi hand and disappeared, the hose turning on soaking Yugi's feet a moment later. "Good thing I didn't have my shoes on." Yugi muttered to himself looking at the water stream around his feet.

"Okay!" Yami appeared from the other side of the house again, taking the bag of balloons back from Yugi. Sticking his hand into the bag Yami pulled out a single balloon and wrapped it quickly around the head of the hose, it filling rapidly with ice cold well water.

Leaning on one foot Yugi watched, still unsure about this 'great idea'. "I still don't think this is right." He said nervously.

"Oh please, she will be gone by tomorrow anyway, probably off to Paris and somewhere else she can spend money." Yami waved his hand, dismissing Yugi's worries at he pulled the swollen balloon away from the hose and tied it off, shoving it to Yugi for him to hold while he filled another.

Knowing protest would do him no good Yugi stood silently, watching as Yami filled another four balloons giving them a total of 6. "I think we have enough." Yami said looking satisfied then going to turn off the hose.

"What now?" Yugi asked upon his return.

Yami smirked and lead the way back to his room, locking the door once more behind them and going back out to the porch. A glance over the rail showed him just what he was hoping for, his mother looking on still as Jarvis now struggled with her over packed suitcase.

He held out his hand to Yugi. "Hand one over." He said keeping his eyes on his mother.

"If you're sure…." Yugi said hesitantly handing him a balloon.

Yami held his hands over the rail, the balloon clenched gently between them as he took careful air at his mother below, making sure it would drop squarely on her head.

Just before he released the aerial water assault when a balloon his him right in the chest, cold water exploding over him causing him to shout in surprise and drop the balloon. It landed a good foot from his target, splashing to the ground harmlessly.

"Yugi!" he shouted turning to the boy who was shaking with silent laughter. Glaring he snatched a balloon from him and broke it over his head, soaking his shirt and head.

"Cold!" he yelled dancing around from the sudden icy shock. "So cold!"

Yami snorted crossing his arms. "That is what you get."

Before he could look back at Yugi another balloon hit him, this time in the face causing him to stumble backwards, waving his arms frantically trying to regain his balance.

Wiping his eyes clear of water Yami lunged forward to steal another balloon from Yugi, who was small but very fast as he side stepped Yami, taking another balloon and pelting him in the back with it.

"Ugh!" Yami shouted again, reaching behind him grabbing blindly trying to get ahold of Yugi. He missed again and receiving another water balloon to his bare chest, his pants now drenched.

No long trying to avoid Yugi's assault he grabbed the boy by the waist as he darted past. A startled yelp escaped from Yugi and he dropped the remaining water balloons, Yami catching one before it broke open onto the ground.

Yami grinned as Yugi took a step back, his hands held pleading out in front of him. "Aw come on Yami, take a joke!" he chuckled nervously knowing he was about to receive payback.

"I am." Yami said simply and throwing the balloon directly at Yugi, it bursting open as it hit his outstretched hands, soaking him from head to toe.

"Awww."Yugi shook his hand, water flicking off his fingers as Yami stood looking quite proud of himself, his arms crossed smugly at his chest. Yugi's face fell into a pout. "Great, now I'm wet, cold, and have no dry clothes." He huffed, Yami unable to ignore him.

Yugi's large innocent eyes looked at him, his bottom lip stuck out pathetically as he tried his best to make Yami feel guilty. He even put a little tremble in the mix, just to prove he was now cold despite the warm sun shining down on them.

"Oh please!" Yami said rolling his eyes and dropping his arms to his side. "Come on, I have clothes you can wear." He said bringing Yugi back into his room, ignoring shouts from his mother who was failing miserably at disciplining her son.

A cold draft from the A/C drifted over Yugi, his shaking becoming sincere as his clothes became cold as ice. He watched Yami rummage through a dresser then go over to his walk in clothes, searching for clothes that Yugi would like. "Can I hop into the shower to warm up?" Yugi asked doing his best to keep his jaw from quivering.

Without another word he rushed into the bathroom, shouting a thanks and quickly stripping himself of his cold wet clothes. Looking from the tub the shower he thought both looked tempting, but dissuaded a shower would warm him up quickly as he would have to wait for a tub to fill. The stone shower had no glass or door, it was just a large open space that had such a slight downward slant you had to pay attention to even notice it. In both the corners ending at the slant were two drains, leaving the shower floor smooth and cold on his feet.

Looking around Yugi did notice there was one important feature this shower seemed to be lacking; a nob. Seemingly there was no way to turn on the water. He danced in a small circle looking at each wall in turn, only seeing stone but nothing to turn on the water. Leaning out of the shower area he looked beside him, noticing a touch screen on the wall.

"Hm." He grumbled, walking over to it and studying it with a hand to his chin and his other arm crossed under him. If anyone would have walked in at that moment it would have been a sight to see. A naked Yugi starring at the wall like he was trying to solve some sort of puzzle, all just to take a quick shower. His body quivered again, protesting the lack of warmth it was being given.

With a shrug he reached out and tapped the screen, it lighting up blue giving him the option to select the tub or shower. Tapping the shower button he jumped in surprise as water came rushing out of the ceiling from 4 or 5 large shower heads, the area now resembling a downpour. Glancing back to the screen he noticed a temperature gauge and moved it up, the water to the shower responding instantly as steam became to build in the bathroom.

"Sweet." Yugi said with a grin, stepping under the thick sheet of water, sighing as it stung his cold skin. He noticed that the stones under his feet had begun to warm pleasantly, and if he walked around it felt much like he was getting a message. Wondering how it would feel Yugi laid down on the warm stone, his back muscles relaxing instantly, his heartbeat pulsating through his body. Closing his eyes Yugi breathed slowly and deeply, putting his arms behind his head at the warm water beat down on him. It was then that Yugi, understandably but foolishly, fell to sleep in the shower, the warm rhythmic water luring him to sleep.

Yami laid back on his bed, idly changing channels on the TV searching for nothing. His head lulled to the side, looking over at his clock, thinking Yugi had been in the shower for quite a while. Looking back to the TV he flipped through a few more channels then glancing back to the clock. His ruby eyes slid over to the door as he turned down the volume on the TV, listening for signs of Yugi in the shower. Only the sound of falling water could be heard. Nervously he chewed on the inside of his bottom lip, fighting with himself over being worried. "It's just a damn shower." He told himself sternly, trying his best to talk himself out of his current (and ridiculous) worry.

Trying to keep his mind busy he pulled a book off his nightstand table and flipped through a few pages, looking for an interesting starting point, haven read the book at least five time. After reading only a paragraph or two he tossed the book aside, swinging his legs off his bed and standing up. 'If something isn't wrong then that's fine, but if something is wrong I'll be happy I checked.' He thought to himself walking over to the bathroom door, desperately trying to convince himself that his soon to be actions weren't completely rude and uncalled for.

Lightly he knocked on the door waiting for a response. Nothing came so he knocked again, this time called Yugi's name louder. Still no answer. A frown sunk onto his face. "Yugi?" he called louder still. When silence was all he got in return his anxiety grew and he opened the door not caring if Yugi thought he was rude or not. The bathroom was full of steam, it bellowing out the door causing Yami to almost choke on the moisture. Looking to the shower he saw the form of Yugi laying on the floor, his naked body resting there quietly.

Yami's heart stopped, the blood draining from his face as he immediately expected the worse. Rushing over to Yugi he noticed just in time the boy's ribs heaving slowly up and down. A sigh escaped him, his head rushing with adrenaline as he realize Yugi had only fallen asleep. How he had fallen asleep was something Yami couldn't understand. Rain hitting his face was uncomfortable enough and Yugi had managed to fall asleep with it pouring on him.

As relief set in Yami froze momentarily, then slowly began backing away toward the door, starring at Yugi as he slowly closed the door behind him, his back stuck to the door as if he were glued there. "Oh my god…" he exhaled sharply, trying to clear his mind of what he'd just seen. Any doubt he had about his attractiveness toward Yugi had now clearly been determined. It was all he could do to not run back into the bathroom and do something he might regret, and not in a harmful way either.

A knock on his door made him jump, his thoughts crashing back to earth as he unlocked and swung his bedroom door open. His mother stood there, Yami guessing she had finally finished the task of unloading her recent shopping spurge, or watching Jarvis do it. Yami stood looking like he'd just seen a ghost, his faced a sickly shade of white, his eyes wide and round with adrenaline that was still happily rushing through him.

Concern crossed his mother face. "Yami are you okay?" this was the first time Yami could remember he actually sounding concerned about him. "What's wrong?"

'Oh, there is an extremely attractive boy laying naked in my shower and I can't do a damn thing about it.' He thought to himself bitterly.

"Yami?" his mother's words snapped him from his ever wandering thoughts.

"Oh nothing. Nothing." He repeated quickly trying to keep his mind in focus with the conversation. "What do you want?"

His mother's lips pursed together and he arms crossed at her chest. "I wanted to let you and your little friend know that I didn't appreciate that stunt you just pulled." She snapped.

The dazed look Yami had on his face from seeing Yugi disappeared, it was now full of aggravation. "I mean really? You care so much you wait until you finish watching someone unpack your things to complain? Get real." And with that he slammed the door in his mother's face, leaving her bewildered and baffled.

Yami rolled his eyes and went back over to the bathroom door, knowing he couldn't just leave Yugi there sleeping, it was dangerous for Yugi and too tempting for Yami. Knocking and shouting came from his mother through the door and be promptly ignored her.

"Go back to Egypt or wherever you went!" he shouted going into his closet and pulling a large towel out. His mother shouted louder in protest but Yami just ignored her.

He opened the bathroom door again, finding Yugi still sound asleep. Yami tried to keep his teenage sex drive in check, an impossible task but hey, who could blame him for trying? Leaning over he turned the shower off and tossed the towel at Yugi, it hitting him in the back causing him to jump awake. Yami would have normally been a bit more tactful, but given his current 'frustrations' he wasn't in much of a compassionate mood.

Blushing furiously Yugi covered himself quickly with the towel, standing up with it wrapped around his waist. "I'm so sorry!" he said, his voice shaking with embarrassment.

"It's alright, just next time, try using the bed instead so you don't make another attempt at drowning." Yami laughed allowing Yugi to exit the bathroom before him. Yugi took the clothes Yami handed him, thanking him quietly and going back to the bathroom to change. Sighing heavily Yami flopped down onto his bed facing the ceiling, absentmindedly starring at the white paint. He'd only known Yugi for a few days, but it had been so long since he'd been attracted to anyone; he felt compelled to confess his feelings for Yugi. The bathroom door opened and closed, letting Yami know Yugi was back in the room, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep like that." Yami could heard Yugi's embarrassment and apology in his voice. He sat up to look at him.

"There is no need to be sorry, you didn't do anything wrong. If you're tired then you're tired, right?" he flopped back on the bed, starring again at the ceiling.

Yugi frowned as he watch Yami, startled by his sudden lack of interest in him. "You are acting like I offended you." He muttered, thinking now it might be a good idea to leave.

"You didn't." Yami retorted quickly.

Yugi hung his towel on the door knob and stood quietly there, feeling his heart sink as Yami remained silent toward him, not knowing that Yami's feelings were far from angry.

"I think I should just go home…" Yugi said finally, breaking the long silence between them.

Yami sat up again, this time looking at Yugi for a moment, studying the face he was so quickly falling for. "Why?" was all he could think of to ask.

Yugi shrugged. "You just seem mad it all."

Yami shook his head. "No I'm not it's just-" he stopped unable to explain himself properly.

"Just what?" Yugi asked curiously, his head tilting to the side slightly.

Yami sighed and put his hands in his lap, scratching his thumb nail as he scolded himself mentally for his hesitation to open up to Yugi. "I like you, and I don't know how you feel about me I suppose." He said in almost a whisper.

As always when anyone whispers it caused Yugi to listen closer. He caught every word that slipped from Yami's mouth. Now it was his turn to stare at Yami. "What do you mean 'like'?" he asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding.

"I mean like as in really like, as in more than friends." Yami said unable to look Yugi in the eyes, worried he had just scarred what was sure to be his best friend off.

Yugi stood in silence for a moment, then walked over to Yami and took a seat next to him on the bed, placing his hand in his. "I like you too." He said hesitantly. "I'm just not sure if it is in the same way….yet." he added the last bit on as an afterthought.

Twice today Yami's heart sunk. "Yet?" he asked, hanging onto that last word of hope.

"Right. It's not that I don't like you, or haven't thought about you like that, I just don't know you that well is all." Yugi explained not wanting to rush into a relationship so soon.

"I understand." Yami said with a nob, but still feeling let down and rejected. He sighed and stood up. "I'll take you home." He offered. Yugi knew it was his polite way of wanting some space, so he agreed without an argument. The car ride to Yugi's house was quiet and awkward, making Yugi feel horrible for rejecting Yami. Now suddenly their friendship felt strained and weird, almost suffocating like Yugi couldn't wait to get out of the car and back to his own room.

They pulled up to the front of Solomon's card shop and Yugi got out. "Text me, okay?" he said to Yami before closing the car door and heading into the game shop to go back into his house.

"Yugi, aren't you supposed to be at school?" his grandfather asked when he entered the store.

"Not today grandpa. I'm going up to my room." Yugi said clearly not wanting to discuss the events of the previous night or afternoon.

Solomon watched as he went through the door in the back and into the house, knowing Yugi would explain himself when he was ready to. "I hope you don't push people away, little one." Solomon said out loud to himself, worried his grandson would push away the few good people he still had in his life.

Up in his room Yugi laid with his face into his pillow, crying silently wishing he would have allowed himself to be more open with Yami. Yami was kind, funny, handsome and cared for him, maybe even loved him in some small way. It was the promise of love that made him shy away. He'd lost people he loved once before, and it ended with him living in a hospital for three months. What would he do if something happened to Yami? If they fell in love, treated each other right and made one another happy, then he lost him? The thought sent pain shooting through his soul, imagining having to deal with it all over again. His face pressed deeper into his pillow and he cried, wishing not for the first time he could forget the events of his past.


	11. Chapter 11: Moving Forward

~~~Warning for slight sexual content~~~

Watching the clock above the door it chimed, reading 6 o'clock on the dot. Solomon locked the door and switched the open sign to closed, his normal routine of closing the register down put on hold. He hadn't seen Yugi once since he had been home, or heard him get out of bed and walk around upstairs. This was far from normal for the boy, who always gave his grandfather an exciting recap of the day's events, or came to him with concerns when he needed guidance. The lack of communication coupled with the lack of movement was concerning to say the least.

Solomon made his way through the house and into his grandson's room, knocking lightly before he entered, finding Yugi on his bed sorting through some cards.

"Did you have a bad day?" he asked sitting at the foot of his bed.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Yugi had only just stopped crying about an hour ago, his nose was still stuffy and his eyes swollen and red. Like his doctors had instructed he'd taken some medicine calm down. Physically he'd gotten a grip but mentally he was a mess. It hadn't helped that Yami was now texting him, apologizing for whatever reason he felt necessary.

"I think you should, keeping things bottled up doesn't help solve anything." His grandfather persisted.

Yugi set his cards down and glanced back at his grandfather, not wanting to face him and show him what a mess he was. "Yami told me that he had a crush on me." He said getting right to the point.

The old man wasn't surprised, he'd met Yugi's previous love interest, a taller more distant boy who he hadn't taken to well. Yami seemed like a much better fit for his grandson, so he didn't argue like he had the first time they'd spoken about Yugi's relationship. "Yami seems like a nice young man." He said cautiously, unsure where Yugi was going with the subject.

Tears threatened to form in Yugi's eyes once more. "Grandpa I'm just not sure I'm ready for that yet since…since everything has happened." More tears built in his eyes, his nose becoming stuffier as his face grew red. He buried his head back into his wet pillow. It hadn't even had a chance to dry yet and he was always crying again. Swallowing hard he fought to keep his hysteria down.

A reassuring hand rubbed his back, allowing him to take a deep breath and steady his nerves momentarily. "I can understand where that would be hard, but Yugi you have to move on sometime." His grandfather said trying to use his most soothing tone. If there was some way he could make sure his grandson never felt pain again he would, but he knew that was impossible. The best he could do for him that be honest and prepare him for what may come, to help make him strong enough to deal with the bad things life could throw at a person.

"It's so hard, I don't want to lose another person again." Yugi couldn't help the tears that began to soak into his pillow. "I don't think I could handle it."

"You can't think of everything as going to be lost, if you do that you will never have anything at all." The elder explained, knowing all too well the sting of lost love. He'd lost his wife years ago, and that pain had never gone away, just eased with time. "It's isn't the threat of pain, or loss we live for Yugi, it is the promise of love and hope."

Yugi sniffed trying to clear his nose. "How can you love someone if you know it is going to leave?" he asked, his tears easing.

"You hope that they won't and love them as long as you have with them. That is what makes love, little Yugi. We wouldn't love if we knew it would never end, we would take it for granted." Solomon smiled at him when Yugi peeked out at him from the pillow. "It is when we take people for granted we become cold and heartless. Never forget the value that someone holds and you will always know how to love."

Leaving his pillow Yugi sat up and leaned into his grandfather who put a comforting arm around him. "I'm just scarred I guess."

"You have every right to be, any person does. The unknown can be scary at the best of times and horrifying at the worst, but that doesn't mean you don't face it. Just think about all the things you've done, not knowing what the outcome would be." He said playing on Yugi's courageous spirit, knowing that past the anxiety was a boy who always had to have questions answered. "If you never did those things, then you would never know the answer."

Yugi nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve then giving another large sniff. "I think I need to talk to Yami."

Solomon nodded in agreement. "I think that is a very smart thing to do." He said standing up to look at Yugi. "If he is half the person I think he is, and you hope he is, then he will understand perfectly." He assured Yugi before leaving his room, keeping the door cracked open as he always did.

Searching around his bed Yugi found his phone and touched the screen, seeing three miss texted messaged. To no one's surprise they were all from Yami.

'I'm sorry if I came on to you too fast, I understand if you want to be friends.' Then the next message. "Will you please just text me back?' then the last 'Yugi I'm sorry, really. Let me know if you don't want to talk to me at least. That way I won't try at school.'

Yugi smiled faintly, thinking in a way Yami was being kind of cute, worrying so much about whether or not he wanted to talk. Brushing the last of his tears away Yugi hit reply and typed his message back. 'No, I'm sorry, I just got scared when you said that. Can we talk?' His thumb lingered over the send button for a moment, then he clicked it, watching and waiting for it to turn green and say 'sent'.

The message sent and seconds later his phone buzzed in response. 'Sure. When, where?'

'Tomorrow night, after school I can go to your house or you can come to mine.'

Another second later the phone buzzed again. 'We can come back to my place, I'll drive. See you tomorrow?'

Yugi smiled and typed back. 'Sure, see you in math class.'

His phone buzzed in reply before he even set it down. 'If we don't all fall asleep. Lol'

The smile on Yugi's face grew wider and he set his phone down next to his bed, glancing at the cards on his bed. Maybe dating Yami wasn't such a bad idea after all. Like Solomon had said, he was nice and cared about Yugi, how deeply he didn't know, but he still cared. If he didn't take up Yami's offer then he knew someone better would come along and steal him away for themselves, and Yugi had to admit to himself he didn't like the thought of that at all.

He picked his cards up and set them down next to his phone and curled up in his bed, pulling the blankets close to his face and drifted into a deep sleep, not even stirring when his grandfather came to check on him in the middle of the night.

The next morning Yugi woke with a quick start, anxious to get to school. As usual when he was in a hurry his grandfather stopped him, insisting he had a bite of breakfast.

"Grandpa come on! I don't want to be late!" he pleaded as his grandfather ushered him into the kitchen.

"That is funny considering you missed classes yesterday. I'm glad for your sudden concern for your academics." He said rolling his eyes, glad Yugi was seeming to be more of himself this morning. It wasn't a promise he would stay this way, but it was hope that he may have a good day.

Yugi groaned. "You know that's not why I'm in a hurry." He said refusing to sit at the table, instead going to the counter and grabbing a piece of toast that had been laid out on a plate.

"Oh, then you must be in a hurry to apologize to your teachers for missing yesterday!" Solomon said, mocking excitement and giving Yugi a knowing look.

"Whatever." Yugi said before making a dash past his grandfather, heading toward the front door as he bit off a piece of the toast. "Bye grandpa!" he called back to him before heading out the door, walking quickly the whole way to school.

Joey and Yugi met up about half way, Joey fuming about Tristen and his sister. "I mean who does he think he is, hitting on my sister like that!" Joey shouted for the fifth time.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Joey, you know they have liked one another for a long time now, it's nothing new, let it go."

"Let it go?! Yug' you've got to be kidding me!" Joey said almost pleading for someone to be on his side.

"What did Tea tell you the same thing?" Yugi asked giving him a knowing look.

Joey squinted accusingly at Yugi. "Yea, you just gotta take her side, don't ya? What'd she do, call ya'?" he asked suspiciously.

"No Joey, she didn't call me." He assured him. "I knew she'd say that because it makes sense, and you aren't. Really just let it go, beat Tristen up if he does something wrong, until then be happy Trinity is with someone nice. Rather her than Kiba." He said giving Joey a knowing nudge to the ribs.

Joey's face dropped instantly. "Don't say that name around me." He said his voice flat and serious.

"Kiba." Yugi shot back quickly.

"Yugi I'm warning you!" Hoey voice became sharper, more threatening.

"Kiba." he said again, trying not to laugh.

"Yugi I mean it one more time and I-"

"KIBA!" Yugi shouted, cutting him off. Joey let out a frustrated yell and went to grab Yugi by the head, but the boy ducked and ran off in the direction of school yelling and repeating the name Kiba over and over. Try as he might Yugi knew that Joey wasn't quick enough to catch him, so he laughed the whole way until he ran into Tristen and Tea, both were waiting by the school doors as they always did while the group got together.

"Hi guys, bye guys!" Yugi shouted taking the steps in sets of two, shooting past them quickly. "See you at lunch!"

They watched Yugi run past, following viciously by Joey who Tristen promptly tripped, causing Joey to land flat on his face.

"What's the big idea?!" Joey shouted, redirecting his anger toward Tristen, which was suiting considering it was directed at him in the first place. Joey sprung up off the ground and got into Tristen's face.

"You are the one running around like a maniac chasing Yugi." Tristen pointed out as if he'd done nothing wrong, leaning away from Joey.

"Yeah well he is the one bringing up Kiba's stinkin' ass." Joey said defensivly taking a step away from Tristen.

"Would both of you calm down." Tea said stepping in to prevent the two from fighting as she often did. "Come on or we are going to be late for class….again." she said putting emphasis on the last word.

"Whatever." Joey said leading the way into the school, grumbling unhappily to himself as he did.

Yugi had beaten Joey to the class room and had already taken his seat, anxious when he didn't see Yami anywhere. Taking the opportunity before the teacher came in he sent Yami a text, asking him where he was. It didn't take long for a reply. 'Stuck in traffic, and overslept. Be there soon.'

He stuffed his phone into his pocket just as Joey and the teacher walked in, Joey taking a seat next to Yugi. "Wasn't Yami in this class too?" Joey asked Yugi, pulling his math text book out of his backpack since he didn't have to time to stop by his locker on the way to class and put all his books away.

"He is running late." Yugi explained quickly before the teacher started one of his famous, horrible, boring lectures about how math was 'the voice of the universe.'

"What a crack." Joey whispered putting his face in his hands as he leaned against his desk.

"Mr. Wheeler, do you have something to contribute to the class?" the teachers asked, catching a small part of what Joey had said.

Yugi cringed, hoping that Joey's bad mood would affect his mouth filter. 'Oh Joey, don't do it.' Yugi thought to himself watching Joey with anticipation.

Just as Joey went to retort Yami came walking in the room, the teacher directing his frustration at him. "Mr. Muto, so nice of you to join us. Care to tell us why you are late in blessing us all with your presents?"

Yami starred at the teacher, taken aback by his abrupt rude behavior and bullying. "I was stuck in traffic." He explained, trying to not let his temper rise as he took a seat behind Yugi.

"Well you can write me an apology letter in detention after school." The teacher snapped at him.

"Detention?" Yami asked. "I should write YOU and letter for putting ME in detention because of something I can't control? Really?" he shot back at the teacher, unwilling to take such disrespect even if it was from one of his 'superiors'.

"Excuse me?" the teacher asked, his temper flaring worse at the boy's defiance. "Do we need to make it a week worth of detention and a meeting with the principal?"

"A week?" came Joey voice, Yami looking over to him with disbelief. "You'd really give him a week of detention for being late, doesn't that seem a bit harsh teach'?"

"There is no room for your input Mr. Wheeler, thank you." He began to tell Joey off more but was interrupted by Yugi.

"That does seem pretty unfair." He chimed in.

Looking from each of the three boys the teacher's face grew red in frustration, clearly feeling outnumbered and overruled. "All three of you get out of my class!" he shouted. "I will see each of you in detention after school and we will deal with this later."

The three sat starring incredulously at the teacher. "OUT!" He shouted loudly, starling the three out of their seats.

Joey rolled his eyes and led the way out into the hallway where the three stood with their backs against the wall. "Someone must have shoved something up his ass this morning." Joey spat.

"Hey, on the bright side we are keeping up with your detention record, right?" Yugi said trying not to laugh about the whole situation.

Yami looked at the both of them. "You get detention a lot?"

"Well, I don't but Joey does, and normally if I'm with him I get sent too." Yugi explained, relieved that Yami and him were speaking like friends again and all the awkwardness from yesterday had seemed to of disappeared.

"Do they let your parents know?" Yami asked. At his old school he knew detention well, mostly for slacking off in class, but he wasn't familiar with the protocol of this school yet.

"Sometimes. Why, worried Mommy will ground you?" Joey asked with a small smirk.

"No really, I was more hoping they would. It always gets a rise out of her." Yami said with a smirk of his own. Yugi was sure if Yami could find a way to bother his mother than he would, even if that meant losing an hour out of his day.

An hour later the teacher dismissed class and came out into the hallway, handing each of the boys their detention slip, informing them that he would be putting a phone call into their parents. Yugi and Joey both sighed at his, but Yami didn't' seem to care in the least, this further aggravating the teacher who stalked off after a few brief words with Yami.

"It is almost like he tries to pick a fight with you." Yami said confused as they walked toward their Biology class.

Joey nodded in agreement. "Oh he does, that is why if you can you should just avoid that class all together. Next year we don't have to deal with him."

"That will be amazing." Yugi said, day dreaming about the lack of homework and glares.

"Someone should report him, surely it is against some policy that he bullies students like that." Yami said with a frown, not liking that there was a bully in the school, and of all people it was a teacher.

Joey shrugged. "Kids tell the Principal all the time but she doesn't care. Rumor has it that they've got a thing going on together."

Yami looked shocked, his eyes going wide. "No way!"

Yugi nodded to confirm what Joey was saying. "It's true, she never gets mad at him for anything. Last year he grabbed a student by the hair and he didn't even get a suspension from school."

Yami shook his head in disgust. "That's wrong."

"Yup, that's life." Joey said as they walked into their next class.

The rest of the day was slow and uneventful, the three met up with Tea and Tristin for lunch, Joey filling them in with what happened in their first class. Tea and Tristen insisted they go to the principal, but they knew it was a wasted effort. So it was later in the day that the three sat in detention, Joey drawing on a piece of paper while Yugi and Yami played a game of Duel Monsters. The teacher had been in earlier, boasting that he'd spoken to each of their parents, letting them know how disappointed they were in them. Yami rolled his eyes at the obvious bluff, but it had the desired effect on both Yugi and Joey who grumbled unhappily for a while after the teacher had left.

"You really shouldn't listen to him. My mother wouldn't care less if I was in detention, he was just bluffing. I'd bet my Dark Magician on it." Yami said trying to reassure them as Yugi laid down a card for his turn.

"Yeah well I don't appreciate him harassing my dad, he's got enough to deal with." Joey mumbled jabbing his pen to the paper in front of him harshly.

Yugi nodded in agreement with Joey. "Joey is right, he shouldn't just call them whenever he wants. He did this to us last year too." He informed Yami.

Still not seeing the big deal Yami put the cards in his hand down on the desk in front of him and leaned back in his chair, looking around the room. "Does anyone even watch us in here?" he asked noticing the lack of a teacher.

"Normally." Yugi said putting his own hand down, figuring Yami was taking a break.

"Don't you think it's weird that no one is here, or we weren't given any work to do?" he asked setting his chair back down on four letting and getting up, heading toward the door.

Yugi watched him, his eyebrows furrowing together in concern. "Where are you going?" he asked as Yami opened the door.

"Out. No one is here, so I'm leaving. "he said looking down both ends of the hall, seeing no one. He had a growing suspicion that they were the only ones here in the school.

Yugi picked up their cards quickly and followed after him, figuring he'd rather be with Yami than see the teacher if he came back and found Yami missing. "Joey, you coming?" Yugi asked before he left the room.

"Na, if you and Yami are heading out then I'm goin' home. This guy has got some sleepin' to catch up on."he said grabbing his backpack and leaving with Yugi and Yami, but heading in the opposite direction. "See ya tomorrow, text me if the teach' blows a fuse would ya?" Joey leaned on an emergency exit that lead to the stairs and disappeared from view, the door closing with a heavy thud.

"Are you sure we won't get into more trouble?" Yugi questioned as they walked, looking around at the empty school, a eerie feeling creeping up on him, making him think all sorts of unrealistic things. Thoughts like zombies lunging at him from empty class rooms, or ghosts sliding down the hallways just out of view. A cold sweat began to beat out over his forehead as he glanced behind him, quickening his pace to get closer to Yami.

"Never been in an empty school?" Yami asked seeing Yugi's jumpy behavior.

"Excuse me if I don't go all rebellious and just bail out of detention." Yugi snorted causing Yami to laugh lightly.

"I can't say it's a good habit to have." He confessed, opening a door and holding it for Yugi.

Yugi glanced past the door seeing stairs. "Where are we going?" he asked hesitantly.

"You'll see, go on." Yami said urging Yugi up the stairs first.

The two walked up the stairs that went up a good five or six flights. Nearing the top Yugi began to get out of breath. "This really better be worth an unexpected work out." He said panting as they took on the next flight of stairs.

"Oh please. We are almost there." Yami said feeling slightly winded himself. It only took one more short flight of steps for them to come to a door, Yami opening it for Yugi, sunlight from outside flooding the dimly lit hallway.

"Cool!" Yugi said stepping out onto the roof, the wind feeling delightful against his face after the long climb up the stairs. "How did you find your way up here?" Yugi asked going out further on the roof and having a look around as Yami used his backpack to jam the door open.

Yami followed him, smiling at Yugi's enthusiasm over his secret place. "First day, I skipped classes and took a look around the school. I used to come up here before I met you to get away from the other kids." He explained, walking close to the edge of the roof and looking out over the streets of Domino.

Yugi joined him, slowly inching his way closer to the edge as Yami kept his distance. "I don't know how you do that." Yami admired as Yugi leaned over the edge slightly to get a look straight down.

"I just know I won't fall." Yugi said as it that answered everything.

Yami thought about it for a moment and shrugged, stepped further away from the edge and going to the middle of the roof to lay down, the heat feeling good against his back.

Yugi say down next to him and the two grew silent for a moment, neither wanting to bring up yesterday's conversation, but both knowing it was inevitable. Being the more upfront of the two Yami spoke first, wanting to get it out of the way.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable yesterday." He said thinking that was a good way to start the conversation off.

"No, don't be, really." Yugi didn't want him feeling bad because he couldn't get his thoughts together, it just wasn't fair. "I'm just scared since everything happened with my parents. It's frightening to get attached to someone." He explained, knowing that being completely honest was the right thing to do.

Yami was silent for a moment. "I can understand that." He said after giving it a bit of thought. "If you don't want a relationship right now I can respect that."

"It isn't that I don't want a relationship right now." Yugi said quickly, not wanting Yami to think he was rejecting him again. "I'm just scared, that's all."

Yami looked over at him and rolled onto his stomach so he could face Yugi. "I'm not going anywhere any time soon." He said in such a matter of fact tone it took Yugi back.

"How can you be so sure?" Yugi asked, knowing not everything in life was left up to choice.

Yami sighed "Okay let me rephrase that." He said sitting up. "I mean I have no intentions of going anywhere any time soon." He leaned closer to Yugi, his ruby eyes starring right at Yugi.

"I don't want you to think you have to treat me different because of what happened, if you want to leave me ever I want you to. Don't drag me along because you feel sorry for me." Yugi said quickly, as Yami came closer to him still, feeling like a rabbit in a cage with a wolf. His heart raced and his body felt weak.

Yami's mouth came by his ear, Yugi's breath getting caught in his throat. "The only place I'd ever drag you to is my bed, I swear." He said half joking then bringing his lips to rest against Yugi's neck, sending goose bumps through Yugi's whole body like a jolt of electricity. Unable to talk Yugi moved back, taking Yami lips off his neck then moved forward again, replacing his next with his own lips, his head rushing and spinning as they connected.

Yami grabbed onto Yugi's shirt and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss, teasing Yugi with his tongue which Yugi lustfully accepted. It had been so long since anything had felt this right to Yugi that he felt as if he could have gone on forever, entangled with Yami on the roof for a lifetime. Yugi tucked his hands under Yami's shirt to feel his stomach but Yami pulled away, causing Yugi to whine in desperation not wanting him to go. Opening his eyes Yugi saw a smug smirk on Yami's face, Yami clearly knowing that he had just left Yugi hanging out to dry.

Yugi scowled at him. "Yami that isn't fair and you know it."

Yami leaned forward to tease Yugi again, kissing him on his cheek softly. "I know that I'm hungry, and I know that you probably are too."

Yugi pouted, secretly delighted over his first kiss with Yami but hoping he may be able to get more out of him. Yami laughed and stood up, taking Yugi's hand and pulling him up onto his feet. "Come on, let's go back to my place and get something to eat. We can work on our biology essay too." He said leading a still sulking Yugi over to the door and down the steps, grabbing his backpack and letting the door shut behind them.


	12. Chapter 12: Warming Up

~~~Warning: Sexual Content between Yugi and Yami, if you don't like please don't read~~~

"Can we go swimming when we get to your house?" Yugi asked as they drove toward Yami's house. The recent development of their relationship had felt him with butterflies in his stomach, making him feel oddly playful. He wanted to have a good night with Yami, free of anything getting in the way for once. It seemed like every time they tried to have a nice night something always came up and Yugi felt mostly responsible.

"Sure, I have a bathing suit you can borrow if you want." He offered, rolling his window down to punch in the key combination to open the gate to his driveway. The two got out of his car and walked into the house, Yami tossing his keys down on the table by the door. Ritualistically Jarvis appeared and hung the keys up, welcoming Yami and Yugi into the house.

"Late in the evening, isn't it Master Yami?" he questioned taking a low bow toward Yami.

Yami rolled his eyes at the greeting, embarrassed that Jarvis felt the need to bow to him. He felt it was rather silly. "Jarvis, I've told you that you don't have to do that. It's really unnecessary." He said flushing with embarrassment.

"Oh no, Master Yami, I find it very appropriate." Came Yugi's voice, surprising Yami as he turned around to see him bowing as well.

Yami's flush turned from embarrassment to aggravation. "Get a life, the both of you!" he snapped storming up the stairs, Yugi trailing behind snorting with laughter. Glancing behind him Yugi swore he even saw a grin on the butler's normally placid face.

"Come on Yami, it was funny." He said as they reached the top of the steps, his fits of laughter all but under control. "Besides," He continued unable to resist. "You know you'd want me to be your servant."

Yami almost tripped over himself at Yugi's flirtatious attempts. "You had better watch yourself before you end up getting into trouble." He warned but not in a vicious way, opening the door to his room allowing Yugi in first.

"You are the one that acts like trouble isn't a bad thing." Yugi said with a shrug, leaning against his door as Yami searched for an extra bathing suit in his closet.

Doing his best to ignore Yugi's response he searched a few of his coat hangers, looking for his spare swim trunks. Yugi's sudden flirtatious behavior had thrown Yami off, he always took Yugi for being intimidating and quite, but he was starting to second guess that. He pulled a pair of swim trunks off a hanger and tossed them over his arm, going back into his room and throwing them at Yugi.

"This time don't fall asleep in my bathroom." He said when Yugi went change.

"Don't worry." He said closing the door. "I know you were jealous of the shower." He then shouted through the door, Yami snorting again in silent retaliation. Yugi would have better luck pulling his teeth out then ever getting him to admit the temptation that had gone through him when he found Yugi in the shower.

Yami took the opportunity to change into his own swim shorts while Yugi was in the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels for the both of them. Waiting on Yugi he became inpatient and leaned on the bathroom door. "What did you fall asleep again?" he asked through the door.

The door swung open, Yami losing his balance almost falling face first into Yugi's bare chest.

"Missed me that much?" Yugi teased as Yami fought to regain his balance, trying to look graceful and failing miserably.

"Terribly so. Promise you'll never leave again." He said, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Come on." He said grabbing Yugi by the wrist and led him out of the room, back down stairs, and to the back of the house where two large double doors stood leading to the backyard.

Yami pushed one of the doors open, the late evening breeze still warm but lacking the harsh lick of the sun's rays. "It's a great night for a swim." Yami acknowledged as Yugi dropped his towel on a chair nearby and dove right in, not bothering to wait for Yami.

A moment later Yugi's head appeared above water looking at Yami. "Well, are you coming in or not?" he asked treading water easily. If anyone ever questioned past lives Yami could now swear he knew someone had had been a fish at one point or another, as it was the only thing that explained Yugi's unnatural draw and ease around water.

"I'm not insane like you, so no, I'm not jumping right in." Yami said walking around the pool to the stairs and going in up to his knees, allowing his body to slowly adjust to the colder water. Shivering slightly from the cold water he crossed his arms at his chest standing there, looking much like a miserable cat distend to take a bath.

"You got into the river without any complaints." Yugi said watching Yami as he floated around the pool.

"It was really hot and sunny, I'm willing to be cold to keep from being hot, but this is a lose-lose situation I'm afraid." Yami said stiffly, another wave of shivers crashing over his body from head to toe.

Yugi rolled his eyes, diving underwater thinking it felt amazing. It wasn't ice cold like some pools, and he was willing to bet the pool even had a heater. Yami was just being himself, acting stand offish. Swimming back toward the surface Yugi swam close to Yami, surfacing only a foot or two from him, his nose and eyes peeking above the water.

Yami watched him silently for a moment, squinting as he saw a hint of mischief drift through Yugi's eyes. "Don't you dare!" he said making a mad dash for the edge of the pool. Yugi was quicker though, one of the many perks to being small, and grabbed Yami by the ankles, pulling his feet out from under him, dragging him into the pool.

Shouting Yami fell back, catching himself on the railing that lead down the center of the steps. The cold water flooded him, causing him to yelp as his heart felt like it had stopped momentarily. "Yugi Moto!" he shouted pulling himself back up, shivering as another breeze picked up, this time feeling cold like the artic wind.

He crouched in the water to avoid the wind and glared at Yugi who was laughing, keeping well out of Yami's reach. "If you just get it over with then it isn't so bad." Yugi said sending a splash over to him.

Yami turned his head so the water wouldn't hit him in the face then looked back at Yugi. "Next time you come near this pool I swear I am throwing you in." he growled.

Yugi shrugged and flopped backwards into the water. "Wouldn't bother me." He said swimming around on his back. "I love the water."

"Obviously." Yami grumbled, giving up his attempt to keep warm and going into the deeper water to join Yugi.

"You should have Joey and the gang over, they would have a blast." Yugi said swimming closer to Yami.

"I don't know if I'd want to see Joey near a pool. For some reason it spells disaster." Yami said taking a step away from Yugi, not trusting him since he pulled him into the water.

Seeing Yami's hesitation Yugi lowered himself into the water again, his mouth just above the water as he slid closer to him. "What, frightened of the big bad wolf?"

Yami took another evasive step away. "You are neither big, nor a wolf." He said with a snort doing his best to look uninterested.

Without warning Yugi leapt from the water and on top of Yami, toppling him over in a giant bear hug. Yami burst from the water with a gasp, Yugi clung to his back like some kind of cute koala bear. Trying to keep his balance Yami's arms waved in circles, but he was unsuccessful in the end, falling back into the water when Yugi finally let go.

Regaining his balance Yami stood, brushing the water off of his face quickly, trying to see which way Yugi had gone. Looking around he was surprised to not see Yugi anywhere in or around the pool. "Yugi?" he called wondering where he had gone, thinking there was no way he had gotten out of the pool and ran inside the quickly.

As understanding dawned on him Yugi shot out of the water again, this time at Yami's side, Yugi wrapping his arms and legs around him again, Yami able to keep his balance this time holding them both up.

"That isn't funny you know." Yami said trying his best to keep a smile from his face.

"You aren't that serious, you know." Yugi laughed giving him a large tug attempting to pull him into the water again. Yami's muscles flexed, once again showing his strength as he didn't budge an inch. Yugi strained to pull him again. "God of Rah you are like a freakin' rock!"

Yami's eyebrow raised in question. "God of Rah? Like you know anything about the Gods of Old." He said more teasing than accusing.

Yugi stopped tugging on his arm and gave him an assaulted sort of look, a healthy mix between hurt and mad. "Excuse yourself, sir!" he threw himself off Yami as dramatically as possible, then turned in the water onto his back to look at Yami. "How very rude of you."

Putting his back to Yami he went to swim away, but Yami reached out with a smile and grabbed ahold of his foot, pulling him effortlessly through the water back over to him. "I know I'm one of the most rude, unthoughtful people you know." He wrapped his arms around Yugi's chest, pulling Yugi closer to him in the water. "That is exactly why you like me, right?"

Yami's body being so close to him made him freeze, like a jolt of electricity had shocked him, paralyzing him completely. Leaning down Yami rested his chin on Yugi's shoulder, Yugi glancing over at him then looking straight ahead without a word, unable to gather this thoughts together correctly to speak.

"What? You were all full of jests and teases earlier." Yami purred in his ear, sending a chill through Yugi's body despite the warm water surrounding him, and Yami's chest pressed to his back. "Not so loud once I get my hands on you, hm?" he teased.

Everything Yugi's parents had taught him about dating was going farther and farther out his mental window, about moving slowly and getting to know the person better, about waiting to give into his desires until he knew that person was special. He'd only known Yami for a short while, but his body was crumbling under Yami's advances and his mind was right in tow. Swallowing hard he got a hold of his thoughts enough to try and make a witty comeback. "I bet you could make me louder if you wanted." Was the best he could come up with.

A quiet chuckle came from beside his ear then Yugi felt Yami's warm lips press to his neck, Yugi tilting his head to the side allowing Yami better access. For a while Yami's tongue slid over Yugi's skin at different points of his neck, Yami taking his time making sure to lick and nip at every pleasurable spot available to him. Occasionally he would glance at Yugi who had his eyes closed and head to the side, his face relaxed in a state of bliss. Unable to keep a smirk off his face he removed his lips from Yugi, who turned around to face him pouting like a puppy.

"What?" Yami asked trying to keep the smug tone out of his voice, pleased with himself for making Yugi feel so good at such little expense.

Yugi gave him a playful push. "You very well know what." He growled, wrapping his arms around Yami's neck and standing on his tiptoes to kiss him. Wasting no time his kissed him aggressively, his tongue sliding into Yami's mouth wandering around playfully.

Now it was Yami's turn to lose his thoughts and slip into a state of elation, his hands finding their way around Yugi's waist, pulling him closer so their bodies were against one another. Yugi kissed him harder and Yami leaned in to kiss him back with equal lust, Yami moaning quietly when one of Yugi's hands found it's way to his hair, Yugi's fingers tangling in his hair pulling at him playfully.

Yami lifted Yugi up to his waist, Yugi wrapping his legs around Yami. Yami leaned against the side of the pool for support as the two continued to kiss passionately. Breaking away Yugi kissed down to Yami's neck, playfully brushing his tongue along his skin, teasing Yami as he moved his tongue in small, slow circles, Yami pressing his hips into Yugi tempting him to go further.

About to oblige Yugi was stopped dead, his thoughts crashing back down to earth by the yell of Yami's mother.

"Yami Muto what do you think you are doing?" she shouted from the edge of the pool, neither of them haven noticed she'd came outside in the first place.

Thankfully Yugi's back was to her, and he took the opportunity to hide his face in Yami's neck, his cheeks burning hot with embarrassment but an amused smile plastered on his face. He even nipped at Yami's neck, careful to not move his head at all and expose his actions to Yami's mother. Yami jumped slightly under him, Yugi's grin widening.

"I know what I am doing, but I'm not sure what you are doing." Yami snarled, enraged that she had bothered with them in the first place. They both knew Yami could care less about being 'offensive'. When they came out into the pool no one was around, she was the one that choose to come out, and that wasn't his fault. "Don't you know that interrupting is rude, mother?"

"Excuse me, but last time I looked on the deed your name wasn't on it, and that means you can't do whatever you want, including bringing your little boyfriend over to make out with him." She said crossing her arms, tapping her toe on the ground as she scowled down at the two boys, still entangled in each other.

"Last time I looked, you were never here anyway." Yami said his sexual frustration colliding with his aggravation toward his mother. He considered it a peace treaty when she came home. She left him alone and in return he didn't make her feel guilty about abandoning him at every opportunity that was thrown her way. This was breaking that treaty as far as he was concerned, and he was about to lose all control he'd exhibited since she first came home.

Sensing Yami's anger and frustration Yugi discreetly nipped at his neck again. "Calm down."

Yami's glare turned away from his mother as he glanced down at Yugi. "I mean really? Calm down is all you can tell me?" he growled looking back to his mother, silently shooting daggers at her. If only looks could kill then his problem would have been solved the moment she'd dissuaded to make an issue out of the situation.

Not wanting to appear phased by her son's insult his mother stood with her arms still crossed, an expecting look on her face as she waited for them to get out of the pool. "Move it now, Yami Atem!" she shouted stomping her foot, pointing to the stairs of the pool.

He rolled his eyes, not believing for the first time in years she was suddenly acting like a parent. Yami moved to the side, pushing Yugi off of him and put his hands on the side of the pool, lifting himself easily out of the water to stand up. Leaving Yugi to get out of the pool he went over to his mother, ice in his eyes as he stood but a few feet away from her.

His mother stood unmoving. "I don't care what you do, but flaunting your little boy toy around isn't something I will deal with while I'm in my own house."

"Allow me to inform you mother, that you have no right to come in and out of my life and boss me around. If you want to give me rules, then stick around long enough to enforce them and I'll consider it. Also think about what it means to be rude, if I am doing something with my boyfriend then take a hint and leave us alone, unless you would like me walking in on one of your many love interests to tell you how 'offensive' it is. "he spat venomously.

Yugi had climbed out of the pool and was walking over to Yami, intending on pulling him away from his mother but was surprised when Yami held his hand out behind him for Yugi to take. The two linked hands and Yami began to pull Yugi in the direction of the house, leaving his mother standing with a look of shock and hurt. "Oh," he stopped and turned to look back at her "And don't ever talk about Yugi that away again, unless you want all your precious clothes and belongings burnt in the front yard and your son missing for the rest of your life."

He turned without another word and led Yugi into the house, slamming the door behind him with a loud bang that shook the house walls, storming up to his room with Yugi close behind.

Anger pulsed through him so intensely he didn't notice the sudden cold air from the A/C. He paced in his room, Yugi's eyes following him reminding him of a lion trapped in a cage, fierce but regal. In its own way it was appealing, but Yugi knew better than to play with fire so he got a towel for himself and curled up under Yami's blankets on his bed, shivering lightly from the cold.

A few minutes passed, Yami slowly calming down, no longer pacing the room. Only then did he notice poor Yugi sitting on his bed, his blankets piled over him as he desperately tried to warm himself. "I'm sorry Yugi!" he said rushing to his closet to find a hoodie, pulling it out and handing it over to the boy.

Yugi took it gratefully, but set it down next to him on the bed. "You really shouldn't let her upset you like that, you know" Yugi said ignoring his apology, thinking it unnecessary in the first place.

"Did you hear what she said about you?" he asked appalled that Yugi was seeming to take her side.

"I did, and it is wonderful of you to jump to my defense." Yugi assured him quickly, putting out a quickly growing fire in Yami, knowing once it got started it would spread like a wildfire. "I would have done the same for you, but still, you shouldn't get so upset like that."

"Yugi, I can't let anyone talk to you like that, it is just wrong." He said feeling protective over him, and slightly hurt that Yugi would correct him for what seemed to have been a good action.

Smiling faintly Yugi got up on his knees and leaned over to Yami, pulling him close to him and kissing him gently on the lips. "I'm not saying you did anything wrong, I'm just asking you to not get so upset, it isn't worth it to me."

The feeling of Yugi's lips seemed to calm him instantly, and when Yugi leaned away to speak he found himself following, stopping only to let him talk then kissing him again.

"I mean it." Yugi said tilting his head to the side to break Yami's kiss, his attempt failing miserably as Yami once again teased his neck.

"Mmhmm." Was the only response Yugi received before Yami pushed him back against the bed, his body overtaking Yugi's.

Yami lowered himself over the boy, his cold, wet body pressing against Yugi's making him jump and shiver all at once. "You are fucking cold!" he yelled trying to push Yami off and burry himself under the blankets. "Go warm up before you make me feel like I'm living in the artic!"

Laughing at Yugi's reaction Yami dug through the covers, scolding his choice of such large comforters for his bed. They were impossible to navigate through once they got jumbled up. Digging his hands under the covers he felt something and heard Yugi squeak again, warm washing over Yami's hands at the same time telling him he'd hit home. Lifting the covers over him he grabbed Yugi and pulled him closer.

"If you wouldn't be so quick to run I'd be happy to let you warm me up." He said leaning back against Yugi, ignoring his protests and embracing him in another deep kiss.

Yugi stopped trying to pull out from under Yami instantly and welcomed Yami's kiss, trailing his hands up his cold body. He could feel Yami's skin crawl from the warmth he was offering from his hands. Wanting to pick up where they had left off Yugi grinded his waist against Yami as they kissed.

Impatient and quickly losing control of himself Yami wasted no time stripping Yugi of his wet swim shorts, one hand trailing down Yugi's body as the other helped hold him up over Yugi so he could continue to kiss him. Momentarily worried Yugi might protest his actions he stopped kissing Yugi and rested his head down on his collar bone, making sure if Yugi wanted him to stop he had the opportunity to tell him. His anxiety was quickly eased when he reached Yugi's waist and grabbed onto his swollen member, delighted to feel the affect he was having on him.

Yugi's fingers clenched around his sheets as a small moan escaped him when Yami pulled at him, his breathing quickly becoming uneven and heavy. Yami's heart raced with Yugi's fast breathing, his hand moving faster along him as Yugi became harder in his hand.

His body shook with pleasure and Yugi pulled himself away from Yami, only enough to free himself from Yami when he felt his body begin to climax. An aggravated look flashed across Yami's face, knowing he was about to please Yugi just as he pulled away. Before he could protest Yugi had pushed Yami against the bed and peeled his clothes off, pulling him back on top once he was fully naked. "I can't have as much fun with you when your clothes are on." He said before kissing his chest, moving down to wrap his lips around his nipple and play with it, teasing it with his tongue until it became hard.

The warm feeling against his cold skin made Yami ache for more, so he pushed Yugi back against the bed further and ran a hand back down his waist and between his legs. Not wanting to surprise or hurt Yugi he teased him by trailing his fingers around his entrance, waiting again to see if Yugi would protest. When he didn't he slowly pressed his middle finger into him, moving it slowly in and out, his body shaking with anticipation of taking Yugi for himself.

Yugi's body tensed under him in pain. Seeing this Yami leaned back down and kissed at the more sensitive spots on his neck, offering more pleasure than pain when he pushed another finger into him. Yugi moaned again, grabbing onto Yami's back now, his nails digging into him causing Yami to moan breathlessly in response as he pushed his fingers deeper and harder into him.

Yugi pressed himself to Yami as he moved his waist in movement with Yami's fingers then took his earlobe into his mouth, flicking his tongue over it until Yami's body had relaxed over him, his movements with his fingers becoming more natural and less thought of. "Yami don't tease me." Yugi whimpered when he took his lips away from his ear, his body needing more.

"Why not, it's fun after all." Yami said positioning himself between Yugi's legs, running his hands up his body in admiration before sliding himself slowly into Yugi, moaning loudly at the warm, tight feeling that threatened to overwhelm him.

Still not wanting to cause Yugi pain his first movements were slow, allowing Yugi to adjust to his size before he moved himself deeper, Yugi moaning in pain and pleasure. After a few slow thrusts Yami leaned back over Yugi, wanting to feel his body as he moved quicker in and out of him, his body brushing against Yugi's dick with each movement sending waves of pleasure pulsing through Yugi's body.

Feeling Yugi relax Yami's movements became harder as he felt himself close to climax, Yugi moaning in his ear for him to cum, his body releasing on command. As he pumped into Yugi slowly Yugi's moans suddenly grew louder, drawing out with each of Yami's movements. Wanting to give Yugi the pleasure he was just received Yami kept his slow pace and grabbed onto Yugi once more, pulling on him slowly in rhythm with his waist. Yugi's breath caught in his body as he came over Yami's hand, his whole body tensing up then relaxing when his orgasm rushed over his body making him light headed and dizzy, leaving him with a feeling of complete bliss and euphoria.

Satisfied with himself Yami took himself out of Yugi and laid down next to him, wrapping his arms around Yugi grinning when he felt his shaky body.

"Too much for you?" Yami tease, Yugi unsuccessfully trying to push him away in response.

Realizing they were both uncovered Yugi reached down and pulled the blankets up over them, nuzzling his head into Yami's now warm chest. "If this is what swimming gets me, I say we go swimming every day." He said with a short laugh.

Yami's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Everyday? Are you sure you could handle that?"

Yugi nipped him harder than necessary on the nipple making him jump. "You just wait, next time I won't let you do anything, then I'll be the one joking." He threatened.

Looking down at him Yami wasn't sure if he meant it or not. His body still shaking and exhausted he didn't give it a second thought as he closed his eyes, rolling onto his back allowing Yugi to settle in on his chest. Yugi's breathing slowly and became deeper and Yami found himself drifting off to sleep as he listened to Yugi, his thoughts far from his mother, needing to be up early tomorrow for school, or the homework both he and Yugi completely blew off.


	13. Chapter 13: The bully

~~~~Warning, this chapter contains insults and bullying, neither which is condone. Just an FYI for all readers, I don't own Yugi, Yami, of anything from Yu-gi-oh. Feel free to review if you'd like.~~~~

Early the next morning a knock on Yami's door woke him, his eyes opening lazily as he looked over at the clock on his desk. It read a miserable 5:45. Blinking a few more times he could make out someone opening the door. Looking over to Yugi he made sure he was covered up then looked back at the door, realizing it was Jarvis who had come in.

"What?" he barked, his voice cracking, still thick with sleep.

"I'm sorry Master Yami, but the Misses wanted me to make sure you were up for school on time." Jarvis said, this voice truly sounding apologetic.

Anger threatened to take Yami's mood as he sat up in bed, throwing the covers off himself, mumbling curses under his breath not caring if Jarvis saw him naked while he picked up his pants to put them on. Buttoning up his jeans he brushed past Jarvis and stood by his open door. "Jarvis, leave now. Unless you really would like to add anymore firewood to my mother's and I's bonfire of a feud I suggest you leave quickly." His voice cut like a whip, not leaving room for discussion.

Head hung low Jarvis slipped past Yami, stopping only briefly to ask if he could deliver a message to his mother for him.

"Absolutely. Tell her I said to piss of." With that he shut the door in Jarvis's face, locking the door behind him as he went to crawl back in bed with Yugi. Lifting the blankets up and crawling under them he nuzzled his face against Yugi, crawling up to him much like a cat seeking affection. He let out a heavy sigh and wrapped an arm and leg around Yugi, pulling him closer trying his best to fall back asleep as he nuzzled his face gently against the boy's chest, thinking his skin was wonderfully warm and soft.

"Do we have to get up?" Yugi asked quietly just as Yami began to drift off, causing Yami to groan and roll over onto his back. Sleep was officially a thing of the past for today.

"If we must." He said feeling defeated. Another knock came at his door and Yami growled, leaning over the bed to grab a shoe that he threw at the door, it hitting against the wood with a loud smack. Whoever was there took the hint and didn't knock again. Yami left himself hanging off the side of the bed, wishing he would have woken up in a better mood after last night. "I feel like a grumpy old man that just got woken up from a nap." He sighed.

Yugi laughed and grabbed Yami by the arm, pulling him up and back onto the bed. "More like a grumpy teenager that stayed up too late and didn't get the sleep in." he joked then leaned in to kiss Yami, hoping it would make him feel better. "You'll feel better once you've woken up."

"I want to know who in the hell decided it was a good idea to start school so early." He grumbled, his mood rising slightly at Yugi's attempts to make him feel better.

"Obviously it was someone who hated kids." Yugi replied as if that explained everything.

A small smile flashed across Yami's face as he watched Yugi get out of bed and walk off toward the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower, if you want you can join me and maybe be less grumpy."

Not needing to be asked twice Yami followed Yugi, taking his pants back off as they stepped into the shower together, the hot water soothing Yami's tense muscles.

"Your mother really puts you in a bad mood." Yugi said leaning against Yami, allowing the water to flow over them both as they stood together.

Yami looked away as if to dismiss Yugi's observation, his eyes falling down to the floor.

"Why don't you two get along so well? I mean clearly she isn't around a lot but why don't you get along even when she is home?" he asked, pushing the subject further.

Taking a step away Yami smoothed his hair back as water dripped down his face, wondering if it was really worth talking about the things his mother had done. It felt like he was whining, a teenager thinking his life was miserable when he had everything he needed. Looking back to Yugi he sighed, seeing that he was waiting for an explanation.

"Let's get out of the shower and I'll explain." Yami said stepping out of the shower area and grabbing a towel on a nearby rack to dry off, leaving his dirty pants on the floor as he walked out of the shower. Waiting for Yugi he searched his closet for an outfit, putting on a pair of black jeans, then looked for a set of smaller clothes that may fit Yugi. The only thing he could find was a pair of blue jeans that were shorter, although he wasn't sure if they would be short enough.

Going back into his room from the closet he handed Yugi the pants, relieved when he saw that they fit. "I couldn't find a shirt that would be small enough for you." Yami explained, but Yugi shrugged picking up the hoodie Yami had given him the night before.

He put the hoodie on and wrapped his arms around himself happily. "It's smells like you!" he said delighted, ignoring the fact that is was huge on him, going down well past his hips, the sleeves falling down over his hands.

Yami couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm over something so simplistic, but he was glad it made the boy happy. Yugi went and flopped onto Yami's bed, patting the empty spot beside him as an invitation for Yami to join him. "Come tell me about your mom."

Yami took Yugi's offer and took a seat next to him, thinking for a moment trying to figure out how to explain. "Well you know my mother and father split up, and how she took a lot of his money." He said looking to Yugi who nodded, confirming that he remembered what Yami had told him a few days ago. "What I didn't tell you was the worst thing she did was take me. I was, and probably still am my dad's only child, so get to back at him my mother took me away after the divorce. She told the court that because he was so involved in his business he was unfit to be a full time parent, then after they awarded me to her full time she took away visitations, saying that he didn't deserve them because he never came when he was supposed to."

"That is one of the reasons we moved here." Yami laid back on his bed looking at the ceiling, feeling relieved he had someone to talk to. All this friends were thousands of miles away, this house had felt like a cage. "My dad had been trying to get a hold of me since I am about to turn 18, and my mother made the stupid choice to move here."

"Wow, she really did all that just to keep your dad from seeing you?" Yugi asked, shocked that a person would go through such lengths out of spite.

Yami nodded and sat back up. "It's not like she even cares either, she is never here. I tried seeing if I could move out back in America and stay in the states but she threatened to report me as a runaway, I couldn't leave until I was 18."

Although Yugi felt bad, he couldn't help but think his mother was smarter than she led on. "So now that you're about to turn 18 it won't matter for a while, because you don't have a place to stay, since you are new here, right?" he guessed, catching on to his mother's plan.

"Exactly." Yami said with a nod. "She isn't as stupid as she acts, she is just crazy. There is a fine line between genius and insanity and she crossed it…a while ago."

Yugi giggled lightly at Yami and stood up off the bed, stretching his morning stiffness away. "Well come on Mr. Homesick, we have got to get ready for school."

Yami wrinkled his nose in distaste at the thought of another long day at school.

"One more day won't kill us. Besides it's almost summer anyway, and after that you graduate so don't complain, I'm stuck there for another year." Yugi said putting his socks and shoes on.

"It's not just one more day, it's the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that which will kill me." Yami said matter of factly while he put on his shirt and shoes. Before they walked out of the room to school Yami grabbed his dueling belt from the floor and put it on, not willing to leave his cards unattended.

The drive to school was quiet and drowsy, Yami taking up Jarvis on his offer to drive them to school. Stretching out in the backseat Yugi leaned against Yami, yawning and closing his eyes. Fighting to keep awake Yami looked out the window and rested a hand on Yugi's head, only waking him when they arrived at school.

Together they got out of the car, neither surprised to see their group of friends waiting by the school entrance as they always did in the mornings. Yugi's face lit up and he waved over to them. "Hey guys!" he shouted jogging over to them, leaving Yami to catch up.

"Yug! Glad you joined us again." Joey joked, punching Yugi lightly on the arm.

"Oh course. Why wouldn't I?" he asked, not waiting for an answer as he knew what it might be. "Are you and Tristin done fighting yet?"

Tristin rolled his eyes in response. "Yeah, if Joey can stop whining about his sister dating."

Joey became red in the face, glaring at Tristin. "You two aren't dating, so quit sayin' that!" he shouted waving a first in front of him threateningly.

"Would you two just stop, give it a break." Tea said cutting between the two before things got out of hand….again. "Hey Yami!" Tea gave a welcoming smile as Yami walked up behind Yugi, giving Tea a faint smile in appreciation.

"You two come to school together?" Joey asked looking from one boy to the next.

Yugi's face blushed red, Tristin and Joey looking at each other then back to Yugi and Yami. A uncomfortable silent passed for a few moments, broken by Joey who began to cackle.

"Tell me it ain't true." He began shaking as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"No way. I can't be." Tristin said laughing, causing Joey to lose control of himself. Together they both burst into a loud fit of laughing. "Yami and Yugi sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g." Tristin jeered playfully, Yami blushing now too making Joey laugh harder.

Yugi tried to fight his blush away, knowing his friends were just poking fun at him. " I don't see what's so funny." He muttered trying to look unconcerned and failing terribly.

"You haven't dated in years, I mean this has to be some kind of joke, right?" Tristin asked, the first to gain control of himself out of the two. "You guys did just meet not that long ago."

Before Yugi or Yami could respond it was Tea who stepped in, her face seething with rage. "How dare both of you!" she yelled drawing more attention than necessary, Yami and Yugi both looking from each other to the ground, Yami trying to hide a smirk. He thought it was cute the way Yugi was becoming embarrassed. It took a lot to rattle Yami and make him feel ashamed or embarrassed, hell he would of make out with Yugi right in front of the school is Yugi let him.

"If Yugi wants to date someone then what is it to you?" Tea continued on her rage, Joey fighting to regain his composure as Tea leaned over on him, taking her wraith out primarily on him. "Joey Wheeler the next time you get a girlfriend you watch what I do, just wait and see." She threatened.

"Tea calm down, Yug' knows we are jokin' with him, don'tcha Yug'?" Joey asked lazily, turning his head to the side to look at Yugi as Tea leaned closer to his face.

Yugi laughed lightly, putting his hands out in front of him as if to block himself from being drug any farther in the middle of things. "I know, don't worry Tea it's fine."

Tea's lips pressed together tightly as he leaned back away from Joey and crossed her arms. "Next time you try and make a jab at either of them I won't listen to a thing anyone has to say. You know I can't stand it when you poke fun at people's relationships Joey."

The bell rang from inside the school, Yugi grabbing Tea's hand to drag her into the building. "Enough yelling, it's giving me a headache and I haven't even started classes yet." He said to Tea as the two disappeared inside the school, leaving Yami, Tristin and Joey outside, neither of them in a hurry to get the day started.

"So, you and Yugi, huh?" Joey asked sitting on the wide concrete hand railing the lined the steps to the school.

Yami shrugged in response. "I suppose so." It was in his nature to keep to himself, it was only with Yugi he had been so open. Yami was the last person who would talk about his relationship with a person out in the open, he felt things were to be kept between himself and Yugi, out of love and respect for one another. He never did take well when kids gossiped about their relationships to anyone who would listen.

Joey glanced over to Tristen when he was given the short reply. "Do you really like him?" Tristen asked glancing from Joey to Yami, knowing where Joey was going with this. The last relationship Yugi had been in was nothing short of a disaster, and they wanted to make sure it wasn't about to happen again, more now than ever since Yugi was still in such a vulnerable state.

Yami's eyebrows furrowed, his face molding into a scowl. "Are you interrogating me?" he questioned sharply.

"Look," Tristin stepped forward off the wall he had been leaning against, taking a step toward Yami, putting his hands up in a non-threatening gesture. "We just don't want to see Yugi hurt, he has been through a lot lately."

"Like I don't know that?" Yami shot at the both of them. Disappointment and anger molded together inside of him. Although he hadn't known them for long Yami had hoped they could grow to be friends, but now with the way Joey and Tristin were acting he wasn't so sure that would happen. Aside from that there were questioning him like he was a villain with a plan. If only they knew how fond he was becoming of little Yugi, how the boy had managed to get into his heart and make him feel ways he hadn't felt since he'd left his home.

Tristin and Joey both looked back at each other, Joey being the first to speak this time. "Just promise us that you'll be honest with him, okay? Yugi might seem small but he's got a lot-a heart, he can take anything ya throw his way. So don't string him along, that's all we are tryin' ta say."

Yami's glare turned soft, realizing that Yugi's friends were just trying to look out for him. It was nice to know Yugi had people who cared for him so deeply, and while he couldn't help but feel like they were intruding on his protective job he was glad to know Joey and Tristin would be there if he ever wasn't. "I understand, but don't worry okay? I haven't been lying to Yugi or anything, I promise." Yami said easing their worries.

"Good!" Tristin threw his arm around Yami and began to pull him into the school. "Now that we can all be buddy buddy again let's go show this school how students really learn!"

Joey swung his backpack of his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, ya mean how 'em how we don't learn. This whole early mornin' thing just ain't workin' for me." Joey complained as they went to class.

The day drifted by slowly and uneventfully, the group of friends enjoying lunch inside as the sky had grown thick with dark clouds, consuming the promise of another sunny summer day. Joey and Yami finally exchanged a few duel monster cards, the two chatting about the game while Tristin, Tea, and Yugi caught up with the latest school gossip. It wasn't until gym class that anything had happened.

The boys and girls had been split up into teams. Basketball had been the game of choice and the girls beat the boys 25 to 17. Defeat hung over the boys team as they went to the locker and shower rooms after the game, everyone complaining about losing to the opposite gender. Everyone except Yugi. Throughout the game he had chatted with a few of his friends, not haven the opportunity to do so since he'd gotten back to school. His friendly and outgoing nature toward their opponents had hit a bad note with a group of the boys.

Yugi stood in front of his locker, taking off his gym shirt changing into his regular clothes. He didn't notice the three boys behind him who were glaring, a whole wrapped around each of their waist as they had just stepped out of the showers.

"You know I wonder why the coach doesn't just put you in with the girls." One of them jeered, getting Yugi's attention.

This wasn't the first time Yugi had been victim to a bully, so he did his best to ignore them as he pulled his shirt over his head, not saying anything in reply.

A shove from behind took Yugi by surprise, a few of the other boys clearing out of the locker room sensing trouble.

"I am talking to you, shrimp." The shame boy said when Yugi turned to face him.

"Would you just leave me alone?" Yugi pleaded, really not wanting to deal with his. His heart faced and his palms became sweaty. 'It'll be alright.' Yugi thought to himself. A feeling of dread crept up him like a cold shadow on a hot day, his made his skin crawl and his eyes go wide. A thorough explanation would be how his adrenaline was reacting to the situation, the chemicals racing through his head preparing him for a flight or fight response. The difference was Yugi's mind wasn't working the way it should have due to his recent health problems.

Rather than heighten his senses to the threat of the boys his body became hyper aware of everything. The sounds of the locker room, water dripping from the shower, the white colors of the walls stretching out, looking brighter than normal. Everything seemed to close in on him as the worth thoughts he could thing began to take him over, thoughts of picking up an item nearby and hurting on of the boy's with it, or grabbing one by the head and slamming him into a wall. All at once these sensations and thoughts came to him, urging him to lose complete control. Yugi called it "catching the fear", as that was exactly what it felt like.

"Why should we do that? You know not all the guys like that you are in the shower rooms with us. You think we don't know about how you like to look at us?" the boy pushed Yugi up against the locker, his back slamming loudly into the door. Yugi's body began to shake, not out of fear of the boys but out of fear of his own mind. Unbeknown to them Yugi was in a fight with himself, desperate to keep control of his actions.

"Jason, come on man don't take it that far…" one of the other boys said, seeming to grow uneasy at the bullying escalated.

"Shut up Mike!" Jason shot back to his friend. "I don't think we should have a fag like him hanging around, don't you agree?"

Jason flashed a wicked grin as he loomed over Yugi, his arm propped over his head as he brought his mouth close to his ear. "What about it? How about you let me show you what happens to boys who think it's okay to stare?"

A hand touched his stomach and Yugi's mental barrier broke, something wild in him lashed out. Rather than reacting in a blurry mess Yugi's motions were precise and thought out. The palm of his hand landed on the boy's nose, a loud crack proving it broke on contact. Simultaneously Yugi's free hand went to the back of the boy's head and threw it right into the locker, and when Jason slumped down unconscious Yugi took the opportunity to shove his knee full force into his stomach.

Looking toward the other boys with his fists clenched tight it was now surprise when they ran, one toppling over a bench as they scrambled for the door, yelling for the coach.

In a daze Yugi looked down at Jason, blood running from his broken nose onto the floor. The imagine reminded him of his father, his face thick with blood. The blood in the car after the wreck, his mother's bloodied shoe he'd found later at the hospital.

Wrapping his arms around himself Yugi absentmindedly went to the showers, turning the water on as hot as it would go and sat down on the floor, drawing his knees to his chest. It didn't take long for the water to steam up, then quickly become scorching hot. The burning sensation trickling down his body brought him slowly back to reality. He could barely understand what the coach was shouting, pulling a walkie talkie out of his back pocket wildly asking for help.

Yugi pulled his knees closer to himself and rested his head against them, keeping his focus on the hot water pouring over him.

Yami stood outside the locker room, trying to look in as a panicked teacher rushed past him. Another teacher followed quickly, urging student back away from the locker rooms when they tried to go in. Yami had been waiting outside of the gymnasium for Yugi when he'd seen the two boys run out into the hall, calling desperately for the coach or a teacher. He'd come in to see what the commotion was but the coach had gotten there first, telling Yami to stay out of the locker rooms.

Worried about Yugi he leaned past the teacher, catching a glance into the locker room. He only saw Jason, still lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

"Is Yugi Moto in there?" Yami asked quickly to the teacher who was trying to block him.

"I'm sorry Yami, I can't-" she began but Yami cut her off.

"No, I need to know you don't understand!" Yami yelled at her shoving past her ignoring her threats of suspension.

Panicked he rushed in the locker room, not bothering with the coach when he yelled for him to leave. Yami looked over at Jason, seeing he was breathing at a steady even pace. 'He's just unconscious.' Yami thought to himself relieved. Looking for Yugi he heard the sound of a shower running. On a hunch he turned the corner that led to the showers and saw Yugi curled up under a steaming stream of water.

Rushing over to grab him Yami jumped back when the water scolded him, yelling at the burning sensation that stung his hand. Leaning over he switched the water off quickly and leaned down to Yugi. "Yugi what happened!?" he asked shaking him lightly.

The boy didn't move, he shook silently, his breathing coming out in large in large sobs. Yami kneeled there, not knowing what to do as a teacher pushed him aside and scooped Yugi up in his arms, rushing him out of the bathroom. The last thing Yami saw was Yugi clinging to the teacher, trying to hide his face in the man's shirt so the on looking students wouldn't see him crying.


	14. Chapter 14:Healing

Later that night Yami sat in the park, Tristin, Joey, and Tea at his side. "I just don't understand what happened." Yami said, feeling horrible that there was nothing he could do. The last hour of school Yami had searched for Yugi, going to the nurse's office, the principal's office. No one would tell him a thing, only to get back to his class. It was like Yugi had disappeared.

"Jason went to the hospital, I know that much." Tristin said, leaning back, placing his hands on the grass behind him as they looked up at the dark sky, thunder rumbling off in the distance.

"Yeah, but it is so unlike Yugi to hurt anyone." Tea said, clearly worried as she sat with her arms wrapped around herself.

Yami nodded in agreement with her. "Tea is right, Yugi would never hurt anyone."

Joey picked a few blades of grass and tossed them down individually. His eyes seemed far away. Although he didn't show it Joey was riddled with concern. "Yugi hasn't been himself lately though, you gotta remember."

"But do you really think he could do something like that?" Tristin asked looking at Joey wondering if he knew something they didn't.

Yami answered for him. "I think if he had to he would, just like any of us. Like you said before Joey, Yugi may be small, but that doesn't mean much."

They sat together silently after that, each thinking to themselves, trying to find a reason for what had happened.

Yami looked out over the lake, remembering the summer day not too long ago where they had gone out swimming. Yugi's smile, his laughter. If anyone asked him if Yugi could hurt someone Yami was sure he would have scoffed in their face. He knew that something bad triggered Yugi to lash out so violently.

Deep in his thoughts Yami jumped when his phone rang loudly in his pocket, also startling Joey who was nearest to him. They both jumped together then grinned at each other for their skittish behavior. Yami pulled his phone out of his pocket, his face losing color when he saw the name on the screen.

It read Solomon Moto. "It's Yugi's grandpa!" he told all of them before quickly picking up the phone, putting his finger to his lips signaling them all to be quiet.

"Hello?" Yami answered quickly. "No, I wasn't there…I don't know what happened…..He is?...Really…..no I can come over. Okay. Bye." He hung up the phone.

"Yugi is in the hospital again." He said clenching the phone tightly in his hand.

The three all starred at Yami, the information sinking in.

"What?" Joey was the first to break the silence.

"That is what Solomon said, he wants me to go over and talk to him." Yami said standing up, brushing the grass off the back of his pants.

"Why would Yugi be in the hospital?! I thought you said he didn't look hurt when you saw him?" Tea asked fearfully.

"Not that kind of hospital Tea." Tristin said before Joey could answer.

"What do you mean?" Tea asked still confused.

"He probably had another break down. "Joey sighed, figuring he would explain to all to Tea later. "You should go Yami, let us know what you find out."

Yami nodded and flipped his phone open again, calling Jarvis to come pick him up, telling him to hurry if he could. It didn't take long for the red mustang to pull into the parking lot, Yami slipping into the car quickly, instructing Jarvis to take him to Yugi's house.

The butler hadn't asked any questions when he noticed Yugi's absence from school that afternoon, or when he noticed Yami's stress. Jarvis did what he was paid to do, and that was take orders, cook, and clean. They pulled up to Yugi's house, Yami telling Jarvis to park and wait for him nearby.

"I don't know how long I'll be, so just stay close." He said before closing the car door behind him.

Pushing the game shop door open he was surprised to find it unlocked, even when the sign on the door said closed. Thinking it best Yami locked the door behind him and made his way into the back of the building where Yami and Solomon's house was.

"Hello?" he called, not seeing the older man in the kitchen where he normally was.

"Up here!" came Solomon's voice from the floor above.

Yami quickly went up the stairs and found Solomon in Yugi room, packing a few items: A blanket, Yugi's cards, a pair of slip on shoes and a few other items.

"What's going on?" Yami asked watching Solomon move about the room.

"Yugi is going to be in the hospital for a while." Solomon said, pressing Yugi's pillow into a bag he was putting everything in.

Yami shook his head slightly, not understanding what was going on. In his own way Solomon seemed so frantic, his normal, slow and purposeful movements were quick and messy.

Stepping toward him Yami placed his hands on the elder's shoulder, facing him so he couldn't move. "I don't understand what happened." Yami said flatly, desperately searching for an answer to what was happening.

Solomon inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly. "Come downstairs we can talk." He said dropping the bag he was packing to the floor and going downstairs with Yami. "Can I make you some tea?" he offered pouring himself a cup from the stove.

"Please." Yami accepted gratefully, thinking it would be nice to have something help ease his nerves.

The two were quiet until Solomon sat down, handing Yami the warm cup, taking a sip out of his own mug. "Yugi was assaulted by that boy in the bathroom." Solomon explained, Yami setting his cup down before he even took a sip.

"Jason assaulted him?" Yami asked, his eyes wide, rage flaring in him like he'd never felt before, and that was saying something as he was often told he had a quick temper.

"Is that his name?" Solomon mused, finding it irrelevant either way. "It doesn't matter. You know Yami, Yugi can't be put into situations like that. Anything that would make him panic sends off bad signals in his head, makes him think things he wouldn't normally think, or do things he wouldn't normally do." Solomon struggled to explain. How do you explain something that isn't well known in the first place? It was like explaining the color red to someone who has never seen it before.

Yami nodded in understand, remembering what Yugi had told him about thinking bad things he couldn't control, and how shaken he had seemed when he told him. "Yugi told me about that. So what, when he panics his thoughts take a wrong turn somewhere or something?" he asked trying to get a better understanding of what Yugi was going through.

"Sort of. His mind flashed with images of things he seen previously, or heard. He has dealt with violent things lately, seeing his parents die, and the situation of it happened with the wreck, so his mind automatically put him back in that place, replaying disturbing thoughts of images over and over. It's called flashbacks, and since Yugi was bullied when he was younger his mind replays that too, like a bad movie you can't pause. He doesn't understand that those thoughts are just thoughts, he thinks they make him a bad person." Solomon said, finally feeling like he'd explained it properly.

"So, when something happens he thinks something bad and it is harder from him to control, because that is all he can think about in that moment?" Yami said feeling like he was getting the point.

"Right, a lot of people compare it to be possessed." Solomon took another sip of his drink.

"If Yugi was defending himself then why is he in the hospital?" Yami asked ignoring his own tea, suddenly uninterested in the beverage.

Solomon set his cup down gently on the table. "He is scared of himself. Yugi thinks he lost control of himself and did something bad. I've always taught him that fighting is wrong, so in his mind he didn't defend himself, he attacked someone. He won't talk to anyone and the doctors have him under surveillance. They said they gave him a high dose of tranquilizers but that only goes so far, it just stops the physical effects."

Yami looked down at the table, picking idly at his thumb with his fingers. Yugi was probably terrified, and there was nothing he could do. The night Yugi had cried with him was clear in his head, remembering how he had held the boy and let him know he was there.

"Can I go see him?" Yami asked looking up at Solomon.

"I was going to ask if you would. Yugi has been spending a lot of time with you lately and has been so much better, I was hoping you would give it a try. Please, don't feel like you must, I understand if you don't want to go, and I know Yugi would too." He said quickly, worried that Yami might feel pressured into going to visit Yugi.

"I don't mind, we can go in the morning, right?" he asked hopefully, wanting to see Yugi as soon as possible.

Solomon nodded. "If you'd like you are welcome to stay in Yugi's room, that way we can leave first thing in the morning."

Without another word Yami took out his phone, texting Jarvis that he would be staying the night and to not wait up for him. "Consider it done." Yami said picking up his tea and taking a long drink.

The rest of the night the two were quiet, both anxious about what the morning would hold, both upset that this had happened. To Yami there was no right or wrong time for this to happen, but the Solomon this was the worst time ever. Just when Yugi was coming back he'd lost him again, and now he worried he would never be back.

It was late when Solomon retired to his room, Yami going to Yugi bed and laying down, fighting back tears when he inhaled Yugi's sent, his bed thick with it. He longed to hold Yugi, to comfort him and tell him that it was alright. The thought of Yugi alone in the hospital room was awful, and just as quickly as he felt sorrow he felt guilty. He should had gone in to see Yugi sooner when he didn't come out of the locker room with the rest of the kids. If he would have only thought and observed closer this wouldn't of happened, and Yugi could be home, or at his house in his arms.

Curling up Yami pulled Yugi's blanket around him, watching the minuets tick by on the clock as morning drew closer. Unable to calm his thoughts he stood and paced about the house quietly, then went onto Yugi's laptop to study post-traumatic stress. The more he read the more his heart sank, understanding what Yugi was going through, the hell he had been drug into at the expense of some airheaded student. Leaning back in the chair Yami crossed his arms, thinking it was lucky Yugi had gotten to Jason before Yami had, otherwise the boy would have walked away with worse than a broken nose.

What seemed like forever passed before Solomon came into Yugi's room, finding Yami wide awake, his arms tucked under his head as he starred at the ceiling, apparently lost in his own thoughts. "Did you sleep?" he asked, concerned about him.

Yami shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I'll feel better once I've seen Yugi. Can we leave, do you have everything you need for Yugi?" he asked picking up the bag Solomon had filled.

Taking a second glance around the room Solomon nodded and went down the stairs and out to his car, Yami following closely behind. As they sat in the car Solomon hesitated before turning the car on. "Yami, I just want you to know, don't be surprised if Yugi doesn't seem like himself, alright?" he said looking to Yami, making sure he understood fully.

"I know. I did a lot of research last night, and a lot of forums and doctors say it can take weeks for the disconnection to stop." He said trying to not worry about if that would happen. It would hurt if Yugi didn't respond to him, but he knew he wouldn't give up that easy.

They left for the hospital, Yami texting Joey to let him know what was going on, and that he would keep him updated once he was finished with his visit. He was glad when Joey texted back quickly, reminding him that he wasn't alone, and if he needed anything to call. Having friends by your side made a difference, it gave Yami strength to help Yugi face what he was going through.

Arriving at the hospital Yami stuck close to Solomon as they went through the paper work. The doctors wanted to know who Yami was, how long he'd known Yugi, what their relationship was like, if Solomon felt like Yami had a positive impact on the boy. They answered honestly and in the end it was dissuaded Yami could be allowed into Yugi's room, but if things began to deteriorate then he would have to leave.

Yami stood outside of Yugi's door, the nurse shifting through her keys as she searched for the correct one. A few patients passed Yami, his eyes plastered to the ground. It wasn't your typical hospital feeling. There was no air of busyness, or the impatience of people who just wanted to leave. It was stiff, and at times frightening. One hallway they had passed down had thick heavy doors, some with larger windows and others with none. Some patients seemed normal and happy, while others walked like shells, an empty look in their eyes either from medication or insanity. The most disturbing thing he saw came from a room not far from Yugi's. A man sat in the corner of a normal looking room, the door wide open, with a sign on it that read DO NOT LOCK. When Yami and the nurse had passed the man began petting himself and rocking, telling himself that is wasn't time yet, and it would be okay to try later.

Hearing the door unlock in front of him Yami looked up to see the nurse holding the door open for him. "Please keep in mind there is a camera in the room, so we will know if he gets upset." She said apologetically, trying her best to sound polite.

Yami nodded in understand and stepped in the room. In his mind he had been picturing a room that was all white with padded walls. Blame too many horror movies but he was surprised to see a bed and desk in a room of light blue walls and white tile flooring. The only thing odd about it was the smaller windows that allowed a small amount of sunlight in. Yami shuttered to think they had to consider people who may try to jump out of the windows when they made the facility.

Much like the man down the hall Yami found Yugi sitting in a corner, huddled up to himself much like he was when he'd been taken out of school. The boy was shirtless, bandages wrapped his back, chest, and one of his arms.

Standing there Yami found himself at a loss for words, so he sat down next to Yugi, hoping he would register him just being in the same room. Minuets passed in silence and Yugi stirred slightly then settled back down, looking like he'd never even twitched.

Finally Yami mustered up the courage to speak. "Yugi?" he said softly, making sure he didn't shout or speak too loudly in fear of startling him. He didn't dare touch him, or make a move toward him.

Yugi blinked a few times but didn't look toward him. After a moment his face twisted into an expression of discomfort or pain, but his eyes screamed with fear.

"Yugi, it is alright." Yami said, the desperate feeling to help rising back up like it had last night.

The boy's normally soft complexion darkened more, tears swelling up in his eyes. He didn't try to blink them back or fight them off.

For another minuet Yami remained silent, giving Yugi plenty of time to gather his thoughts and speak. Tears dripped down Yugi's eyes and fell off his chin as he began to shake and sob. "It's not alright. I hurt someone." He sobbed, talking for the first time since he'd been assaulted in the locker room. "I didn't mean to."

"You defended yourself Yugi, which is nothing to be ashamed of." Yami said in his most soothing tone.

"I hate myself for thinking the things I do sometimes. I really, really do." Yugi choked, coughing in his fit of tears.

Yami frowned and glanced up at the corner of the room where a red light was flashing, knowing he was being watched closely, knowing that any moment he was about to be torn away from Yugi. He had to settle him down.

Taking a risk Yami got on his knees and turned to face Yugi, placing his hands slowly and lightly on the boy's shoulder. "Yugi, I am telling you and I am promising you, that what you did was not wrong. I know you know that, you just have to think. "he said desperately trying to get through the confusing thoughts he knew were racing through Yugi's mind. "You know what these panic disorders do to you, the doctors have told you many times over. Thinking a way and acting a way are completely different, and just because you think something doesn't mean you are something."

Yugi leaned forward and fell into Yami, sobbing harder than before. Catching him Yami wrapped his arms around the small boy and pulled him into his lap, wrapping his legs around him to embrace him tightly. "We will get through this together Yugi, I promise." He whispered.

For a while Yami and Yugi sat, Yami holding him close as Yugi cried his heart out. Slowly the tears subsided and faded, the sobs becoming quieter and less frequent. After an hour or so Yugi had finally calmed down and settled into Yami's arms, resting his head against Yami's soaked shirt.

"I keep drenching your shirts." Yugi said miserably, feeling bad for that on top of everything else.

Yami couldn't help but chuckled. "Believe me, I think I'll live. I have more shirts than I know what to do with."

"I want to go home, I miss my bed." Yugi whispered, exhausted from his fit of tears.

Yami rubbed his back gently. "Well, I doubt they will let you come home looking like this." Yami said smiling, trying his best to cheer Yugi up now that he had finally stopped crying. "You've got to get feeling better first, then I imagine they will give you the sane stamp needed to get out of here."

Yugi laughed bitterly, rubbing his nose against his sleeve. "I can't blame them if they never let me leave."

"Oh please, don't talk like that." Yami said taking his arms and legs out from around Yugi.

"Are you leaving?!" Yugi asked panicked, quickly moving toward Yami startling him.

"No!" he said quickly, reassuring Yugi he wasn't going anywhere for now. "I was going to suggest we walk. I want to know what happened at school, that's all."

"Oh….." Yugi looked down at the floor, his face going expressionless again, just as it had been when Yami first came into the room.

Worried he may he set off another bad reaction Yami quickly tried to back track. "Or not, we could just walk around you know. This lovely woman offered to take me into the future with her. If you want we can take her up on the offer." He suggested.

Another small laugh came from Yugi, his face lighting up ever so slightly. "You are stupid, you know that?" he said giving Yami a small shove. "I don't want to go anywhere, but I guess I'll tell you what happened. I'm sure everyone wants to know."

Yami shrugged. "I just want to make sure that it doesn't happen again, that's all. I don't know what other people want, I'm not them."

Yugi looked to Yami again, a thankful smile on his face. When he'd arrived this doctors and therapist had tried getting him to explain what had happened, pressuring him into telling them, insisting that they needed to let the police know, that Jason's parents deserved to know and so did the school staff. Yami was the first to make it sound like he just cared, and wanted to know for Yugi's sake, not the sake of a lawsuit or criminal punishment.

"He just started off being jerk, taking jabs at me for being gay and being in the boy's locker room, accusing me of looking at them." Yugi face flushed, not with embarrassment but shame. It was difficult to not feel guilty in that situation even though he'd done nothing wrong. "I've never done that, so I know he was just saying it to get a rise out of me. They never had a problem with me until they found out I was gay. I guess when I wouldn't take his bait he got mad and he started to come up to me, and well…" Yugi trailed off, blinking back tears that began to form in his eyes.

"Yugi, you did nothing wrong." Yami said viciously, disgusted at Jason's actions and angry that Yugi felt the need to explain himself as if he'd done something wrong.

"I swear, I never once made any advances to them or anything, I never even looked at them like they said." Yugi said putting his head back down as he began to cry again, but not at heavy as before.

"I know." Yami said putting his arms back around Yugi. "He didn't touch you did he?"

Yugi shook his head no, calming down when Yami held him. "No, that's when I broke his nose." Yugi said actually laughing for the first time at the situation. "I guess he did kind of deserve it, huh?"

"Ha, Yugi he is lucky that is all he got, if it were me things would have been much worse." He assured him.

Yugi looked down again. "A lot of people say that, but I don't think they mean it…" he whispered.

"Yugi, everyone had a dark side, some people more than others. I know you don't see it, but you are full of so much good. The world has bad people in it, and you Yugi Moto are not one of them." He promised.

Looking back up at him Yugi leaned forward to give Yami a soft kiss to the cheek then nuzzled his head into Yami's chest. A knock came on the door, telling them that their privacy was about to be taken completely.

Yami stood up, leaving Yugi sitting on the floor looking desperately for a way to get Yami to stay, but knowing it wasn't going to happen.

"Listen, I will come here every day until you get out of here, and I will stay as long as they let me. You have to do me a favor though and try to get better Yugi, don't let this control you. Thing about just last week, and how good you felt. You were almost over this not even a week ago, and you can get over this again." He leaned down to give Yugi a kiss before the nurse came in.

Before he was pushed away Yami reached into his deck box hanging from his belt and took out his cards. He searched through them and handed Yugi his Dark Magician. "I'll be back tomorrow for this, alright?"

Defeated all Yugi could do was nod, watching as Yami was followed out of the room by the nurse who closed the door quietly behind her, the lock clicking into place.

What followed after was a meeting with the doctors, two insisting they pursue charges against Jason for sexual assault, and Yugi's therapist insisting that they don't.

"He has been through enough!" she shouted, pounding her first on the table. "Do you really think a court case is what the poor boy needs right now!?"

"It is ridiculous to let someone get away with sexual assault!" an older doctor with a long grey bread hollered back. "Do you really think he won't do it to someone else?"

Yami cleared his throat loudly, putting a stop to their childish bickering. "If I may, I think Ms. Hatsaki is right, it might be what is correct to the justice system, but it isn't what is right for Yugi right now."

The two doctors just starred at Yami, while Ms. Hatsaki crossed her arms triumphantly.

"I agree with Yami as well." Solomon said speaking for the first time in this meeting. "As his caregiver and guardian I am making the choice for Yugi, charges will not be pressed again Jason."

Unable to argue against Solomon the doctors yet the subject go, agreeing that Yami was welcome to come back as long as he wanted, but emphasizing that there was no pressure to.

"We know that this can be difficult for everyone involved, so please Yami don't feel like you need to do this." Ms. Hatsaki said gently.

Yami frowned, his eyebrows scrunching together in offence. "I don't mind at all. I told Yugi I would be back and I meant it." He snapped at her, sounding harsher than he had intended to.

Eventually the meeting came to a close, Yami content that the doctors wouldn't hassle him about seeing Yugi. Solomon dropped Yami off at his house later in the day, thanking him more times than necessary for coming to see Yugi.

Passing his mother on the way to his room he promptly gave her the finger when she asked him where he had been and went off to his room, immediately sitting down on his laptop to see what else he could do for Yugi. Hours of research yielded no further help, and he began to sign off the internet. It was then that something caught his eye, something that he was sure would help. A large smile crossed his face as he reached into his back pocket and took out his credit card, punching in some numbers then sending off an E-mail, explaining to someone the situation the Yugi found himself in.

Hours later Yami had everything set up. He contacted Jarvis to inform him he needed to be at the airport first thing in the morning then crawled into his bed fully dressed, collapsing into sleep with a smile on his face.


	15. Chapter 15: Ophan

~~~~Kind of a boring chapter, but hopefully you all will squee over Ophan as he is an adorable little guy who is going to give Yugi some much needed hope. I don't expect the story to go on much longer, as I have an ending in mind, so expect another 5 chapters or so, maybe more. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!~~~~

Early the next morning Yami and Jarvis stood at the airport, Yami's temperament running thin. 6am turned to 7am, and soon 7am turned to 8. Yami checked his watch impatient, then studied the arriving flights.

"Flight 598, delayed." He said to himself with a sigh, then turned his back to the board as if dismissing to go have a seat next to Jarvis, who was happily reading a newspaper, apparently glad to have a break from Yami's mother.

Glancing over to Jarvis and figuring he wouldn't make for good conversation Yami sighed heavily and sunk into his seat, his head lolling back, heavy with frustration and boredom.

"This was your idea Master Yami." Jarvis spoke, not taking his eyes from his morning reading.

Yami squinted his eyes and looked over at Jarvis. "Your point?"

"Only that you should seem a little less miserable is all. Have you thought of a name yet?" Jarvis asked, turning a page in his paper, still not looking at Yami.

The young boy frowned in response. "No, I guess I haven't." he said thoughtfully.

"Perhaps that will be a good way to consume the rest of your time here." Jarvis folded his paper down at the corner to look over at Yami.

"Hmph, I suppose." Yami stood and left Jarvis, pacing the large luggage claim of the international airport looking thoughtful.

Finally after what seemed like forever a voice came over the intercom. "Flight 598 now landing, flight 598 now landing. Baggage pick up at B3, baggage pick up at B3." Came a female voice, sending Yami's heart to his throat.

Not wanting to be late Yami rushed back to Jarvis. "He is here, come on!" he said grabbing the butler by the sleeve and ripping him out of his seat, dragging him off to the appropriate pick up area.

"Master Yami, calm down!" Jarvis said trying to talk calm and sense into the boy. "He still had to be unloaded."

Ignoring Jarvis he continued to drag him up to the counter area next to a large conveyer belt that was currently empty.

"I'm waiting for a live pick up." Yami said taking out the proper ID and paperwork he needed.

"Okay, where is it coming in from?" the woman at the counter asked politely, seeing Yami's anticipation and assuming he had been here for quite some time.

"America, Virginia more specifically." He answered, leaning over the counter slightly hoping to catch a glimpse at the computer as she punched information into the system.

"Alright, he should be coming in off the tarmac now, give me a few minutes please." She said handing Yami all his information back and turning to leave through an open doorway in the back.

Yami groaned and folded his arms on the counter, resting his head down on them. More waiting?! He checked his watch that now read 11:54. His thoughts drifted back to Yugi, not for the first time this morning, and he began to wonder if Yugi thought Yami wouldn't be coming back today. Although Yugi probably figured Yami was at school, and wouldn't be over until after they got out.

The minuets dragged on when the flight receptionist came back out, a small crate clutched in her hand. A large smile broke out onto Yami's face, even Jarvis put his paper down and came to get a better look.

"Is that him?" he asked coming up behind Yami.

Yami only nodded and grabbed a pair of scissors from behind the counter.

"Here you are!" the woman said setting the crate on top of the counter.

It had been zip tied shut, to make sure the small dog inside wouldn't escape on his long flight half way across the world. Yami quickly clipped the ties off and reached inside the crate, pulling out a small, but tall dog. Not being a common breed in Japan Yami knew almost no one would know what and Italian Greyhound was, but if it had to be described it would be like this. The dog was small, but not so small it was bothersome. He was light as a feather, weighing only about 10 pounds, had long thin legs that brought him half way Yami's legs, right below the knee. His tail was thin and tucked between his legs, his chest deep and large, with lungs made for running. Being a sight hound he also had a longer snout, compliments by an adorable pair of small triangular ears. Arguably the best feature about the dog though was his coat, which was of a gorgeous light red, almost tan, set off by the white that lined his neck and chest.

The small dog rested against Yami, clearly relieved that his long journey had finally come to an end. Being stuffed in a small crate for hours had been torture for the poor thing, and although he didn't show it he desperately needed to use the bathroom. Jarvis reached over Yami to stroke the dog lightly on top of the head, the dog closing its eyes in appreciation.

"We'd better let him go outside for a walk around, Master Yami." Jarvis said, breaking Yami's love struck face over the adorable dog.

"Oh, right." Yami said snapping back to his senses, thanking the woman at the counter for her assistance before leaving the airport, taking the crate and a small box with him, glad he finally had the dog he'd been waiting for all night and morning.

Once outside Yami took a leash out of his pocket and attached it to the dog's collar and allowed it to go for a short walk to relive itself. Once outside the dog became energetic, his long legs taking him across the ground quickly, reminding Yami of a deer when they tip toed across the grass. The dog was cautious and kind, just like Yugi. Yami smiled to himself at the comparison, knowing they would be perfect.

Heading back into the car they now headed toward the hospital Yugi was staying at. With the little dog tucked under his arm Yami went to check into the front desk then a rather nasty, ill-tempered nurse began to turn him down.

"We don't allow dogs." She said chewing a piece of gum loudly, looking up at him from her seat where she had been studying a chart.

"Um…" Yami took the small box he had in his other arm and opened it, rooting around inside pulling out a fairly impressive stack of papers. "He is a service dog for Yugi Moto." He handed her a thicker part of the papers.

She scanned the paperwork then looked back to Yami, his lips smacking as she continued to chew her gum obnoxiously.

"Does his doctor or therapist know?" she asked, Yami feeling like that wasn't really something she needed to know. He had all the proper paperwork for proof, which should have been good enough for her.

Inhaling deeply he felt the need to be honest. "No, they don't, but I am positive they won't have a problem with it."

The woman shoved the papers back into Yami's hand. "Sorry, no dogs." She looked back to her charts, evidently done with their conversation.

Starring daggers at the woman Yami took another deep breath then promptly turned and headed for the elevator, ignoring the woman's shouts as she realized what he was doing too late, the elevator doors closing as she was only managing to get out of her seat.

Knowing he would be facing either security, Yugi doctors, or both he didn't care. It was illegal to turn down a service dog, and Yami knew that due to his extensive research the night before. He was in the clear, and nothing anyone said was going to stop him, he didn't even care if he had to get lawyer involved.

The elevator doors opened and he peeked into the hallway, surprised when he wasn't greeted by security. Walking up to the nearby desk he smiled when he recognized the nurse who was working the station as the same who had let him into Yugi's room the day before.

She looked up at him, flashing him a warm smile. "The receptionist just called saying some unruly fellow was on his way up with a dog that wasn't allowed on premises. " she glanced down at the dog in Yami's arms, who wagged his tail innocently, eager to say hello unaware of the trouble he was causing. The nurse reached forward to give him a pet, giggling girlishly when the dog licked at her hand. "We just need one of Yugi's doctors to sign the paperwork you have, then he will be official." She informed Yami.

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought that he was already approved." Yami said apologetically, feeling foolish for missing that small, but important detail.

"Don't worry, Ms. Hatsaki should be here in a moment, I paged her right after I got the call, so just hang on a minuet okay? I'll go make sure Yugi is in his room." She said before pulling Yugi's information out of a file cabinet and walking off down the hall past Yami.

Yami didn't have to wait long for the doctor, the two smiling and shaking hands in a friendly greeting, Yami glad he felt like someone was on his side.

"I think this is a great idea!" the therapist cooed at the dog, who again reached out to try and greet this new stranger. "He is quite friendly, isn't he?" he said as she gave the dog a pet, smiling larger when he showed affection back by whimpering excitedly and wiggling more in Yami's arm.

"He is, and he is fully certified and trained, I just have to explain to Yugi what it is he will be doing for him. I'm sure Yugi will be thrilled…or I hope anyway." Yami said, for the first time allowing his apprehension to show. Although service and therapy dogs were great for some people Yami didn't actually know for sure how Yugi felt about dogs, and asking his grandfather hadn't occurred to him until after he'd made the purchase from his friend in America.

"I'm sure he will love him…or her?" she asked unsure.

"Him." Yami confirmed.

"Alright then. Let's go show Yugi his new buddy." Ms. Hatsaki said leading Yami down the hall to Yugi's room, the door wide open unlike the day before. "Yugi," she knocked on the door softly to get his attention "You have some visitors."

"Visitors?" Yugi asked looking over to the door when she implied there was more than one.

Yami stepped into the room, his free hand going to the back of his head anxiously, much like Yugi did when he was unsure of something. "I got you a new friend." He said setting the excited dog down, who dashed over to Yugi, anxious to have a lap to crawl into.

The dog dances anxiously in front of Yugi, waiting for the invitation to come onto his lap. Yugi looked from the fawn dog to Yami. "He is for me?"

Yami nodded. "He is, and he comes with many perks too." Yami thanked Ms. Hatsaki and she understood that as he cue to leave, doing so when Yami took a seat on the bed next to Yugi.

Yugi smiled at this, then patted his leg, the dog happily springing up with ease and licking the boy's face. Yami's heart lifted when a large smile forced its way onto Yugi's face, then felt like he could cry when Yugi actually laughed, a healthy laugh, not one that was forced as the dog licked at his face and ears.

"Okay, okay!" Yugi laughed, petting the dog to settle him down. The dog did a small circle in Yugi's lap before resting it's self against his chest, taking full advantage of Yugi's body heat. "He is a lover, that's for sure."

Still smiling Yami nodded, opening the box he had set down on the bed. "And he will do a lot for you too." He pulled out a red vest, the words 'Service Dog' sewn across it in large yellow letters. "He has been trained to help people with PTSD. He will wake you from nightmares, remind you to take your medicine, get close to you if you start to panic, and make sure people give you space in crowds. If you start to have a flashback he will jump into your lap too, to try and bring you back to your senses so you have something else to think about." Yami explained, hoping, no praying that Yugi would like the idea.

"Wow." Yugi looked down at the small, gangly dog in his lap. "He can really do all that?"

Yami nodded again. "He can, plus he is a great size, with lots of energy, just like you."

Yugi smiled at Yami. "You got him for me?"

"I did, I have a friend back in America who trains service dogs, so I contacted him and we set things up right away." He said with a shrug.

Yugi's smile fell a little. "He must have been terribly expensive…."

"Yugi," Yami voice became stern "Do not worry about that, I mean it. He is a gift from me to you, and I know he will look after you when I'm not around, for whatever reason. That gives me peace of mind too."

Tears welt up in Yugi's eyes and he petted the dog gently. "Thanks Yami, this is really great. Now I will have something to do, like walk him, feed him and play with him and stuff. I won't just be stuck in here thinking all day." He blinked back his tears, not wanting them to disturb the sleeping puppy.

Yami fought back a smile, seeing that the dog was already having the desired effect. Yugi wasn't melting down, he was actually gaining control of his emotions for the first time in the past two days. "Nope, now all he needs is a name." Yami said not wanting to voice his thoughts to Yugi.

"Hm…." Yugi starred down at the dog, trying to think of something appropriate on the spot. "Ophan." He said after a few silent minuets.

"Ophan?" Yami questioned, thinking it sounded a bit odd.

Yugi nodded. "Stories say they are a group of angles, or guardians, that watch over you while you sleep." He explained.

"Well then, I think that is very appropriate." Yami had to agree on the odd but fitting name. "I will stop by a pet store and make him a tag next time I go out."

"If you can get him a red one, it will look good with his coat." Yugi asked kindly, his heart already excepting the new love that had been given to him.

"How are you feeling today?" Yami asked leaning back on the bed, watching as Yugi gently stroked his new companion.

"I'm alright I guess." Yugi said giving a one shouldered shrug. "I've had a lot of headaches today, but the doctors said it's from the medicine building back up in my system, evening my serotonin levels back out."

"Good, that means you will be feeling better shortly." Yami said trying to make it sound like it was not a big deal and that Yugi would be out of here soon.

Yugi sighed and lifted Ophan form his lap and set him gently onto the bed, the dog getting up and going to Yugi's piled of blankets at the foot of his bed and settling down to stay warm. "I hope, the people here are nice, but I miss home, and our friends." He confessed heavily.

Yami was quite for a moment, trying to think of the best response, then settled on the truth. "I know Yugi, but don't worry, everyone will be happy to see you once you're out of here. Right now we just all want you feeling better."

Swallowing back tears Yugi folded his hands together as they began to shake, Ophan taking his cue for work, getting up and trotting over to the boy. Ophan immediately laid across Yugi's lap, stretching out over his hands doing his job without a command or second thought. Incredibly it seemed to work, a few tears fell from Yugi's eyes but no more than that, and when he pulled his hands out from under the dog they were no longer shaking as he began to give him a pet.

Yami gave a small prayer of thanks to whoever he thought was listening, now knowing he'd done the right thing by sending the dog all the way over to Japan for Yugi. "You still have my card I gave you?" he asked, wanting to switch subjects to prevent an outburst from Yugi.

"I do." Yugi said standing up, Ophan hopping down and following Yugi over to the desk. Yugi stopped and looked down at the dog then to Yami. "Will he always follow me like this?"

"Yeah." Yami said, a hint of an apology in his tone. "Another thing he is trained to do, he'll never wander far unless you let him."

Looking back down to the dog Yugi smiled again. "That is pretty neat, he's like my shadow." He reached out and grabbed Yami's Dark Magician off the desk and brought it over to him. "Trade you, card for a puppy."

"Well, the puppy is much cuter, I will say that." Yami smiled taking the card and slipping it back into his deck box. Yami leaned forward and gave Yugi a small kiss. "I've got to go, you know I can't stay long, but I'll come back tomorrow and every day after, alright?"

"I guess…" Yugi said, his spirits dropping. Ophan leaned against his leg, as if to say 'Hey! What am I, chopped liver!?'. He couldn't help but laugh a little at the large brown eyes that looked up at him. "It'll be fine, I mean."

Smiling at Yugi he wrapped his arms around the boy, giving him a tight hug and another kiss to the top of his head. "Get to know Ophan and I will see you in the morning, okay? I'll talk with the teachers to let them know I'll be late to school, and before you know it things will be back to normal."

Again Yugi's eyes fell to the floor. "I worry sometimes I'll never be normal again…." He whispered, depression threatening to take hold.

"You will Yugi, I promise. You might be different, but you will be you, and probably better than before, if that is even possible." He said, his voice strong and unwavering, giving Yugi hope that he couldn't find by himself.

With another hug and kiss Yami left Yugi and Ophan, his last glance back he saw Yugi bending down to pick up the little dog and hold him close. He felt his heart back at having to leave Yugi by himself, knowing as much as he wanted to stay that Yugi needed to get over with, and without his help. Yugi needed to find himself again, and hopefully Ophan would be company enough to assist him on that journey.

On his way to the elevator he stopped, seeing Ms. Hatsaki approaching. "I saw everything went well." He said, Yami forgetting about the cameras that were in the room.

"Oh, right." Yami said remembered. "I think it will be good for him, but if not call me and I'll come pick the dog up. I don't want it to be a problem."

The therapist shook her head. "As long as he doesn't pee and poop everywhere I'm find with it, I think animals can do more for people then medication can."

The elevator doors slid open with a bing. "Just make sure to let me know if Yugi needs anything, okay?" he said stepping into the elevator.

"Don't worry Yami, I will." She replied as the door slid closed and Yami made his way back downstairs and out to the car where Jarvis was waiting for his return.

He slid into the passenger seat of the car, fishing his phone out of his back pocket. "How did he like him?" Jarvis questioned as they pulled out of the hospital parking lot and out onto the street.

"Loved him, I just hope he continues to feel that way even when he needs to go pee in the middle of the night." Yami said tapping his phone on to send Joey and text message, wanting to keep his promise of updating him about Yugi. After that he messaged his friend in America to thank him, letting him know that the dog had arrived safely and was already assisting his new owner.

Finally now that things were done Yami sit down in his seat and closed his eyes. Knowing the boy was exhausted Jarvis turned on some calm music, and within minutes Yami had fallen asleep in the car, Jarvis not bothering to take him to school late. Instead he drove the boy home and assisted him to his room where Yami curled up in his bed and slept, his phone sitting right next to him in case the doctors called about Yugi.


	16. Chapter 16: An unexpected call

~~~~Short chapter, but important plot development. Just another disclaimer, I don't own Yugioh. Review and let me know what you think. A special thanks to mangalover for your repeated reviews and encouragement. Thanks!~~~~~~

Slowly days drifted by, one blurring into the next. A routine had quickly been established, every day after school Yami would stop by for a half hour to deliver Yugi his homework and see how he was doing. Every day yielded more results. First Yugi spoke more, then he began to smile and laugh, finally after what Yami could swear was forever he started to see glimpse of his Yugi back. It was better than a warm ray of sunshine on a dull winter's day. It was hope, a promise of recovery.

Everyday Yugi became closer to Ophan, the dog becoming more of a friend, helping pull Yugi away from his dark thoughts. Soon the two were inseparable. "He is a wonderful companion, isn't he?" Yugi cooed to Ophan, snapping Yami away from his thoughts.

Yami blinked in confusion, realizing that Yugi was talking to Ophan about him, not the other way around. A light blush took over his face. "I'm glad you are feeling better. Have the doctors told you when they expect you can leave?" Yami asked leaning back on his elbows against the bed.

"They have!" Yugi said excitedly, turning where he sat to face Yami. "I wanted to surprise you, but they said I can leave by the end of the week, as long as I agree to a medication routine. Grandpa already said he didn't mind Ophan coming home either." He said delighted, his beautiful eyes shining with excitement.

Yami couldn't help but smile. "Good, see I told you, just keep getting better and everything will be fine." He looked down to his hands, thinking deeply debating if he should tell Yugi about what had happened the night before.

He remembered lounging in the pool outside, missing Yugi. It had been dark outside and Yami was alone as always when his phone rang, sitting on a chair not far from the pool's edge. Worried it may have been Yugi's doctors he rushed out of the pool with a splash, grabbing for his phone doing his best to not get it wet in his haste. He answered without giving the phone a second glance.

"Hello?" he had answered quickly.

Silence followed his answer for a moment then "…Yami….?" A male's voice came across the phone.

"This is." Yami answered hesitantly, holding his phone out to look at the number, realizing it was out of area. "Who is this?"

"Your father." They both fell into silence.

"Dad?" Yami's voice shook. How had he gotten his number? Did he know where he was?

The man's voice cracked over the phone. "Yami, I finally found you." Yami could hear quiet sobs on the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"But how did you get my number?" Yami asked, sitting down in the chair unable to hold himself up.

"Yami I've had investigators searching for you since your mother and you moved! I thought she had just moved across the country but I was mistaken." He explained to his son, desperate to let his child know he hadn't given up on him.

Their conversation continued, Yami's father explaining about the long process he'd gone through to locate him. First he had hired a local investigator, hoping his mother had only moved a short distance away, then he stretched out further, going all the way to the other side of the States before reaching out across the world.

"The only reason we found you this soon was because your mother took a flight from Japan to Egypt, then back a few weeks ago. They picked up on her travel plans and found you." He finished, leaving Yami in shock.

He said nothing, sitting in the chair feeling numb. This had happened to suddenly, and so unexpected he didn't know how to feel, act, or what to say.

"Yami?" he dad asked, thinking their call had been disconnected.

"I'm here." Yami responded quietly.

"Do you want to come home?" his father asked the question Yami knew he didn't know the answer to.

Blinking back to reality Yami looked over to Yugi who was petting Ohpan, his eyes fell to the floor feeling sick to his stomach. Now wasn't the time to tell Yugi, he couldn't. If Yugi even suspected he was leaving Yami was certain it would cause the boy to fall back into another terrible bout of depression and anxiety.

"You look like you're thinking about something serious." Yugi said noticing Yami's distant behavior.

"Hm?" Yami looked back over to him. "What makes you say that?"

Yugi gave an innocent shrug. "Whenever you look down like that you're always thinking about something important, or if you look like this." Yugi let his face drop and scrunched his eyebrows together, pursing his lips looking like someone had just insulted him.

"I do not!" Yami said giving him a playful shove.

Yugi laughed and tossed his pillow at him, then leaned closer, resting his head on his shoulder. "I miss sleeping next to you…" Yugi said, remembering the morning he'd woken up on the couch, Yami blissfully wrapped around him.

Yami nodded in agreement, grateful for a change in subject. "Me too, things are more lonely, I think even Jarvis may miss you."

"Yeah right." He couldn't help laughing in response. "I think Jarvis just wants me around to keep you from being a jerk."

Doing his best to look offended Yami scoffed. "I am not a jerk."

Yugi's large innocent eyes looked up at him accusingly.

Yami snorted. "Fine, only sometimes though." He said earning a small laugh from Yugi.

Leaning down Yami gave Yugi a kiss, the signal that it was time for him to leave, standing up off the bed, stretching his arms out, muscles stiff from sitting. "Okay, I will see you tomorrow, love."

Unable to help himself Yugi sunk into a pout. "I don't see why they won't let you send the night." He muttered.

"I could think of a few good reasons." Yami smirked, giving him a knowing look that caused Yugi to blush furiously.

"Hush!" he snapped, embarrassed at the untamed emotions cursing through him.

With a roll of his eyes Yami leaned down to give Yugi one last quick, soft kiss on the lips. "I will tell Joey and the others you will be out of here soon, they will be delighted I'm sure."

"Thanks." Yugi said gratefully, missing his friends almost as bad as he missed Yami…almost. "See you tomorrow."

Not wanting to see Yugi depressed Yami turned and left, knowing if he saw the boy's hurt it would tempt him into another argument with the nurses over staying the night. It had only been a few nights ago that they had threatened to call the police, understanding of their situation but needing to stick to regulations.

Yami came to the elevator and pressed the down button, waiting for the doors to open. One of Yugi's nurses passed by, flashing him a flirtatious smile. "Hey Yami. Just get done visiting Yugi?" she asked, stopping and placing a hand on her hip, it leaning to the side under the pressure of her hand. Although subtle Yami knew she was trying to look attractive, something she had done every time he'd seen her.

"Mmhmm." Was all the said, his patience growing ever thin with her. The first few attempts she'd made Yami had been polite, making a point of his close bond to Yugi, now he was becoming aggravated with her persistence. He pushed the button to the elevator again, silently cursing it in his mind to arrive faster.

"You know, his charts say he is due for release at the end of the week. I was thinking we could go for coffee until then." She asked, taking a step closer to Yami, forcing his attention on her.

"Know what? I think I'm going to take the stairs." Yami stepped away from her quickly, and clung to the wall, turning to press his body against the emergency exit door, the bar pushing in and the door giving way. A loud alarm sounded and Yami shot off down the steps, laughing to himself at the stunned and embarrassed look the nurse had. Surely someone would question her about why a visitor had taken the emergency staircase, the door clearly marked with a giant red sign that read "ALARM WILL SOUND".

Worried someone may try to catch him and scold him for his rash action Yami hurried down the stairs, relieved when he finally made it into the parking lot. Taking his keys out of his pocket he unlocked and got into his car, turning it on and blasting the AC to help cool the terribly hot car. As he waited for the AC to kick in he pulled out his phone and tapped it, going to his contacts and searching for Joey's name. Finding it he hit call and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" came Joey's voice.

"Joey, it's Yami, I wanted to tell you that Yugi will be out of the hospital on Friday." He knew Joey would be furious if he didn't tell him right away.

"Really! That's great!" Joey shouted, unable to contain himself.

"What's great?" Yami heard Tristin's voice in the background, not surprised the two were together, probably getting a cheeseburger, or something else related to food.

"Yugi is getting out Friday." Joey told him, Yami smiling on the other end of the phone happy to hear their enthusiasm.

"Where are you guys at?" Yami asked after Tristin had given a loud whoop in celebration of the news.

"The pizza place down the block from school, wanna join?" Joey offered.

"Actually I would, I need to talk with you and Tristin about something." Yami said, thinking it would be best if he got an opinion from two of Yugi's closest friends about him possibly going back to the States.

"Yea sure, everything alright?" Joey asked, the elation of the news over Yugi leaving his voice, replaced with concern.

"I'll talk to you about it when I get there, I'll be over soon. Save me a slice of pizza if you can help it." He joked, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

The drive didn't take long, traffic was in Yami's favor and he was at the pizza shop not long after hanging up with Joey. He parked and made his way into the shop, the bell chiming when he opened the door.

"Over here!" Tristin called when he saw Yami come in.

Smiling Yami went over and took a seat next to Joey, who was working on eating a large plate of french fries.

"So, what's up? Joey said you needed to talk?" Tristin asked sliding a piece of pizza on a plate over to Yami.

Not knowing where to start Yami just came out with it. "My dad called, he asked me if I wanted to go back to America."

Both Joey and Tristin stopped in mid bite, Joey dropping his hand with a half-eaten fry in it back to the table.

"Ya mean ya leavin'?!" Joey asked incredulously. "After everything you and Yug' have been through?"

"That does seem kind of cold." Tristin said, Yami suddenly feeling ganged up on.

"I didn't say I was leaving." He said defensively. "I just said he wanted me to come back."

Joey's eyes didn't leave Yami as he finished chewing his food, taking a long drink of soda making Yami feel more uncomfortable as Joey's honey colored eyes bore into him.

"I don't want to leave Yugi." He said, almost pleading with his two friends to understand.

The two reminded silent another moment longer, Tristin being the first to talk again. "How long has it been since you've seen your dad?"

"Years, at least 6." Yami said, ignoring the pizza in front of him despite his stomach's pleas for food.

Joey's eyes looked back at the plate of fries in front of him, picking one up and jabbing it into the ketchup absent mindedly. He knew how Yami must have felt, he hadn't seen his mother since his sister's eye operation. Even though he held a grudge on her since his parent's divorce he knew what it was like to miss a parent.

"You tell Yug' yet?" Joey asked twirling the fry around in the ketchup.

Yami shook his head, leaning back against the bench relaxing now that he didn't feel like he was going to be yelled at by Yugi's two best friends. "I didn't want to upset him, so I thought I'd wait until he got out of the hospital. I don't even know if I'm going yet."

Tristin listened, his face deep in thought. He'd never been as loud as Joey, who was quick to make threats, but he was fierce, always there when he knew someone was really in need. If Yami left it would break Yugi in half, they all knew that. At the same time he knew Yami had a right to want to go back home, to his old friends and his father.

"I don't know." He said, confused about what to do, or who to take sides with. Yami wasn't wrong for giving his father's offer consideration, but he knew what would happen if he left.

"Me neither." Yami muttered, pushing the plate of pizza away, losing his appetite.

The three sat silently for a while, each thinking of a way around Yami's predicament.

"I guess just talk to Yug', be honest with him, that's what he'd want anyway." Joey finally said.

"Yeah." Yami sighed. Knowing they couldn't help him further Yami said goodbye, thanking them for their advice before he left the pizza parlor. The drive home seemed long, Yami consumed by his conflicting thoughts.

Stepping into his house he tossed his keys down on the table and kicked his shoes off by the door, heading into the kitchen to get some lunch since he'd neglected his pizza earlier. It didn't surprise him to see Jarvis in the kitchen, starting on what he was sure to be dinner.

"Master Yami, how is Yugi today?" he asked as Yami grabbed an apple from the counter and took a seat at the table.

Yami took a large bite of the apple, his stomach turning gratefully at the taste of the sweet fruit. "Good. He is going to be released Friday."

Jarvis's eyebrows raised in surprise, not only at the good news but Yami's lack of excitement.

"I'd have thought you to be happier." He mused.

Yami shrugged. Unwilling to share his worries with the butler, knowing he would tell his mother.

Eyes fixed on the young man at the table Jarvis set the knife he'd been holding, using it to dice carrots, down on the table and took a seat next to Yami.

"Your mother left this afternoon to Paris." He said as if reading Yami's thoughts. "If you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me Sir. I know we aren't on the best terms, but know I do have your best interest at heart."

The sincerity of his voice stunned Yami, the boy looking to him, his face stunned with disbelief. This was the first time since Yami's mother had hired Jarvis that he'd spoken to him that way, like a friend.

"She left?" he asked. No matter how many times she did this he couldn't help but feel hurt.

Jarvis only nodded.

"My dad called me." Yami said, figuring there was nothing his mother could do about it anyway. With a heavy sigh Yami explained the situation to Jarvis, thankful to have someone who wasn't so closely involved with Yugi to talk to.

Jarvis listened, silent until Yami had finished. "You are a smart boy, Yami." He said finally. "Whatever you dissuade to do, I'm sure it will be the right choice. You've come far since we left America, and although your mother doesn't say it I'm sure, somewhere deep down, she is very proud of you. I know I am." He smiled gently at the boy. "Just….just do the right thing, and everything will be alright."

Tears brimmed Yami's eyes, mixed with stress, confliction, and sudden appreciation for Jarvis. His body was screaming for some type of release. Inhaling deeply he fought the tears down, telling Jarvis thanks and goodnight, that he wouldn't be interested in dinner.

Going to his room Yami locked the door, locking himself away from the rest of the world. He sat alone, sitting by the window. Looking down at his phone he scrolled through his texts, seeing the last ones from Yugi, filled with love and affection. Pain flooded him and he hurled the phone across his room, it smashing against the wall, the back cover flying off and the battery falling out. Not bothering to see if it was broken or not Yami pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. No relief came to him that night. Dark was his mood, and sullen were his thoughts.


	17. Chapter 17: Summer Plans

Early the next morning Yami woke and dressed for school, his mind still muddled with confliction. He'd left his phone broken on the floor, not wanting to give his father an opportunity to call him again. It was bad enough that he'd been put in this situation, and it would only be worse if he felt pressured into a quick reply.

Sleep had evaded him, large circles surrounded his eyes and his face was pale as paper. All night he tossed and turned, his thoughts plagued by Yugi and the possibility of leaving him. He trudged down stairs, plucking his keys from where Jarvis had placed them and headed for the door.

"Master Yami, are you sure I can't drive you?" Jarvis asked, never being too far away.

Yami stopped with his hand on the door knob, feeling distant and drowsy. Perhaps driving wasn't the best idea, giving his current state. "Sure." He nodded, handing his keys over to Jarvis. "But I want to take my car, my backpack is in it."

"Of course, sir." he said taking the keys, keeping a close watch on Yami as he half stumbled out the door and to his car. A worried expression sunk on the man's face, knowing it would be best for Yami to stay home, but knowing that the boy would never listen. He had a better chance of getting him to comply if he didn't bother to bring it up, knowing Yami's rebellious side would flare the moment he mentioned the idea.

Quietly Jarvis drove Yami to school, the boy nodding in and out of sleep the whole way. The car pulled to a slow stop in front of the school, jerking Yami awake from another short lull of sleep. Yami got out of the car without a word and closed the car door behind him, heading off for another day of school.

Looking toward the entrance he was surprised when he didn't find any of his friend's there, their normal place empty by the school stairs. A small frown cast onto his face as he went inside, heading toward his locker. A group of familiar voices caught his attention and looking up he noticed Tea, Tristin, and Joey all standing around talking to someone enthusiastically.

Curious Yami made his way over. Peeking over Joey's shoulder Yami caught a glimpse of red and black. Quickly he moved forward, Joey realizing he was behind him.

"Yami!" Joey said moving over, revealing Yugi who rushed him for a hug, his arms wrapping around his waist tightly not daring to let go.

"Surprise!" Yugi shouted, still keeping a firm grasp on Yami who stood stunned.

"W-what are you doing here?" Yami stammered, his mind jumping awake as adrenaline surged through him.

Giving him another tight squeeze Yugi finally let go, stepping back slightly to look up at those crimson eyes he'd been waiting for all morning. "My therapist told the doctors it was worse for me to stay longer, because of you. She thought it was just depressing me to not be able to leave, so they agreed I could leave early." He explained happily.

"We are so happy to have you back Yugi!" Tea said before Yami could get a word out. Although he was desperate to spend time with Yugi he know how badly Tea, Tristin and Joey had missed him too. It would be selfish for him to steal Yugi for himself, no matter how much he wanted to, so he fought down the urge to drag Yugi and play hooky for the day.

Yugi turned around and beamed at his friends. "I missed you all too, it is terrible being cooped up in that place, and the food. Yuck!" he stuck his tongue out in displeasure at the memory.

Joey clapped him on the back, Yugi's breath being forced out of him with a huff. "Well, don't ya worry about that Yug', it'll be 5 star dinning at Domino High, you can rest assured." The small group of friends laughed.

"Joey get real, if your bad jokes don't kill him then lunch will." Tristin said, even making Yami crack a smile.

The bell rang loudly above them, signaling the start of classes. "Alright guys, I'll catch you at lunch." Yugi said to both Tea and Tristin as they turned to leave for their first class.

Slipping his hand into Yami's he pulled him down the hall gently toward class. "You really have no idea how much I missed you." Yugi said as they walked together, earning many jokes and jeers from Joey.

Yami couldn't help but smile. "I miss you too. Why didn't you call me when you got out of the hospital this morning? I'd have picked you up, we could have gotten breakfast together." Yami asked, feeling hurt that Yugi had waited to get in touch with him.

Yugi frowned. "I tried, I only got your voicemail. I was going to come over to your house but I didn't have time, I'd of missed you when you left for school so I thought I'd just meet you here." He explained

Mentally slapping himself Yami squeezed Yugi's hand. He'd completely forgotten about his broken phone, still lying on the floor of his bedroom. "Oh I'm sorry Yugi, I forgot." He said quickly, not wanting Yugi to feel guilty.

"Geeze would you two get'a room?" Joey said watching them fawn over one another. "Oh Yugi I missed you, oh Yami I tried to call you, oh Yugi it's alright I just love you so much." He pressed his lips together to make kissing noises as he held his hands to his face, Yugi blushing furiously at his taunting.

Looking at Joey as they walked Yami raised an eyebrow, amused by Joey's teasing as he always was. "If you don't watch it Joey I'll make sure Tristin gets Serenity's new cell phone number sooner rather than later." He winked down at Yugi who leaned against his side gratefully as they walked.

"Ah, get real would ya'!" Joey said grudgingly. "Take a joke."

Yami rolled his eyes and let Yugi's hand fall from his when he entered the class room, the three boys sitting next to each other in a line.

Joey pulled out his comic after the teacher walked in and Yami sat with his hand to his face, starring dully at the chalkboard. The shock of seeing Yugi was slowly wearing away, leaving him more exhausted then he'd felt previously. His eye drooped and he blinked quickly to keep them open, but he was fighting a losing battle. Leaning forward he began to nod off again when something hit him on the arm, making him jump awake.

Looking for the source he found a small piece of folded up paper, giving Yugi an accusing glance as he quietly unfolded the paper.

"Tired?" it read.

Picking up his pencil Yami tried to think of what to write, his heart willing him to tell Yugi about his father, but his mind screaming to wait. He settled with a safe answer.

"Yeah."

He folded the paper back up and when the teachers wasn't looking flicked it back over to him, Yugi catching it in his hands. His amethyst eyes scanned the paper and he frowned. Scribbling something and refolding the paper to toss it back. The paper landed on Yami's desk again.

Grudgingly he opened it, knowing Yugi wasn't going to let it go.

"What is wrong?"

Taking a deep breath Yami twisted his pencil around in his hand, letting his breath out slowly as he gazed down at the paper.

"How about we talk at lunch?" It wasn't ideal to tell Yugi now, but he didn't have a choice. Eventually the boy would get the truth out of him, and he knew deep down it was better to tell Yugi willingly then have it forced out of him. Hesitantly he folded the paper back up, and when the teacher was busy writing on the board he boldly handed it back, his movement stiffed and forced, like he may change his mind at any moment.

Again Yugi opened and read over the paper, frowning once more as he did. Looking back to Yami he nodded and looked down at his open text book in front of him, concern evident on his young face.

"Great." Yami thought to himself, putting his hand back to his cheek, now upset with himself for bothering Yugi. Not for the first time he cursed his broken family, wishing he could just leave and never look back. Things would be so much easier that way, he was sure. And Yugi, his dark eyes looked back over to the boy who was now jotting down notes. His Yugi, he mentally corrected himself. If he could leave he'd take Yugi with him, away from the drama and what he was sure to be heartbreak.

Class dragged on from there, and when they went to Biology Yugi seemed distant, talking to Joey and casting uncertain glances in Yami's direction. Truth of it was Yugi thought Yami was going to leave him, sick of illnesses and the hassles that came with him. He'd expected Yami to be happy to learn of his discharge from the hospital, but instead he was cold and uneasy, like the sight of him was disturbing in some way.

"Joey, Yami didn't say anything to you about me while I was gone…did he?" Yugi asked tarring his eyes away from Yami, as if trying to rip his thoughts away too.

"Nah, just updates on how you were and stuff, he was pretty worried about ya'." Joey said looking from his paper to Yugi. "Why, what's up?"

Yugi shrugged, not wanting to give the impression anything was wrong. "I was just wondering."

Joey's honey colored eyes squinted at Yugi, watching for a sign of deception. "Honest Joey." Yugi said cracking an innocent smile to ward off Joey's suspicion.

"If ya say so." Joey replied, looking back to his paper.

Finally the bell rang, and just as Yugi was leaving the class he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned and wasn't surprise to see Yami behind him.

"Can we talk, please?" Yami pleaded. "I really can't stand you ignoring me like this."

Yugi smiled apologetically. "I'm not trying to ignore you."

The taller of the two snorted and crossed his arms. "For the past few hours you have been the definition of term 'giving the cold shoulder'."

"Fine then, let's go talk somewhere." Yugi said, telling Joey he would catch up with him and the others after lunch. Joey went to argue but a pointed look from Yami stopped him in his tracks, a cold glare from Yami's dark eyes sending a chill down his spine.

"Geeze, catcha' later then." Joey said darkly, stalking off down the hallway alone to find the others.

Thinking it would take too long to get to their secret spot on the roof Yami tugged Yugi by the shirt and pulled him back into the now empty class room, locking to door behind them to ensure no one would interrupt them.

Dropping his backpack to his side Yugi lifted himself up to sit on a desk, crossing his legs together waiting for Yami to explain his sudden odd behavior.

A heavy sigh left Yami as he scratched his head nervously, thinking of the best way to start their conversation. Glancing to Yugi he was surprised to see a smile on the boy's face. "What?"

"You're cute when you're nervous." Yugi answer simply, adoring the blush he received from Yami.

Yami rolled his eyes, fighting back to heat in his cheeks. "Yugi I need to talk to you."

"Obviously, otherwise I can only think of one other reason we'd be alone in a classroom behind a locked door." He replied smugly, feeling rather proud of himself for the sudden sass he was managing to get away with.

Squinting his eyes in a glare Yami took a chair and turned is backwards, sitting so his arms could rest on the back of the seat. "Remember I told you about how my mom brought me here with her from America?" Yugi nodded in reply. "He called me the other day."

Joy burst from Yugi, knowing how much it must have meant for Yami to be back in touch with his dad. "Yami that is fantastic, I bet-"

"He wants me to come back to America when I turned 18 next month." Yami interrupted him, Yugi's feeling of delight for his lover short lived, his face dropping suddenly. Seeing his sweet face look so troubled hurt Yami, but he knew this was the right thing to do, no matter what the reaction maybe.

"You're leaving?" Tears teemed Yugi's beautiful, innocent eyes. It was official, Yami now felt like a monster.

"No," he said quickly, trying to answer before Yugi went into a bout of hysterics. "I mean, I don't know." he corrected himself, not wanting to lie. "I don't know what I'm going to do. That is why my phone went to voicemail, I got mad and threw it."

Yugi's eyebrows rose at the explanation, the threat of tears dissipating for now. "I don't understand why you were mad, I thought you missed you dad?"

Yami looked down, the confliction he'd been holding in finally bubbling to the surface as he clenched his arms tightly with his hands. "I thought I did too. I miss my friends Yugi, desperately. But I-I love you." The words spilled from him, flooding like a broken dam. The distance he'd been forced to have from Yugi recently made him confront his true feelings. Lonely nights and quiet meals made him realize how much he valued Yugi's energetic, loving companionship. Yes, he loved Yugi, and he wasn't afraid to admit it to himself or Yugi anymore. "I just got you back, and now I'm being torn into two directions." His hands met his face as he tried to hide his tears, a reaction he'd learned from years of hiding his emotions.

"Yami…" Yugi slide off the desk to console him, wrapping his arms around him. "You can be so serious sometimes, you know that?" he hugged him tighter. "You might be strong like a rock, but you still are a person, and it's okay to be upset."

Furious with himself Yami pressed his palms forcefully against his eyes, rubbing them hard to wipe the tears away, colors dancing into his vision then fading when he removed his hands. All his life he'd taught himself to be strong and think straight, to keep cool and look for solutions and never dwell on problems. If something went wrong he'd face the repercussions later and often by himself. Now he felt like there was no answer, either one lead to pain.

"I'm alright." He said, clearing his throat so it wouldn't crack as he spoke.

Yugi rolled his eyes quickly when Yami wasn't looking. "Of course you are. Now, explain to me why you haven't thought about taking me with you? You're going during summer break after all."

Dumbfounded Yami only turned his head to stare at Yugi, who suddenly seemed like an angel given to him from the gods. Such a simple solution should have come to him earlier. "You want to go to America with me?" he stammered, his mind still trying to grasp to reality of having both Yugi and his father in his life.

"Sure, I've never traveled before so I think it would be great! Ophan can come, right?" Yugi asked, with a hint of hesitation when he questioned about his companion.

Yami grinned stupidly. "Of course he can!" he leapt out of the chair to hug Yugi, squeezing the life out of him. "I can't believe I didn't think of bringing you sooner!"

"O-o-okay! Air Yami! I need air!" Yugi gasped patting Yami on the shoulder roughly to make sure he was heard, then choking down air when he was released.

Before he could regain his breath he was stunned by Yami's lips, which were roughly pressed against his. Immediately his head spun and his thoughts left him, ecstasy pulsing from his head down to his toes, leaving him light headed when Yami pulled back. "I need to come up with good ideas more often, I think." He mumbled to himself.

"Are you sure your grandpa will be alright with it?" Yami asked, knowing it may not be the best idea for Yugi to be traveling so far away from his family and his doctors. If anything should happen he would be a long way from any help, short of Yami anyway.

"Ah, I'm not worried about it." Yugi reached down to pick up his backpack, slipping it over his shoulder as he made for the door. "Let's go let lunch, we will tell Tea and the others, I'm sure Joey will be seething with jealously."

Yami followed Yugi out into the hallway and to the lunch room, furiously tapping away at his phone looking at flight plans and hotels. They had one week of school left, and if he could get things together quickly enough they may be able to spend the whole summer in America, or at least a good part of it. His heart raced, thinking of all the places he could show Yugi. A waterfall in the Appalachian Mountains, the various monuments of Washington D.C., the National Zoo and everything he'd grown up with, including his friends.

'It will be so great to see Marik and Bakura again.' Yami thought to himself as the two boys made it into the lunch room, taking a seat at the table their friends were.

"What's up?" Tea asked seeing Yami scrolling on his phone and Yugi looking like he was about to burst with excitement.

"Yami and I are going to America!" Yugi almost shouted, unable to contain himself.

"What?!" Joey and Tristin shouted together, drawing a few glances from nearby students.

"What'd ya mean you're goin' to America?!" Joey asked slamming his hands down on the table demanding an answer. Yami merely glanced up from his phone at Joey outburst then went back to booking flights, unconcerned with his typical high energy behavior.

Yugi laughed shortly, his eyes shining. "Yami father's is over there, and Yami is going for a visit so I'm going with him." He explained.

Out of the group Tea was the only one who seemed cautious. "Yugi, do you think that is smart? You just got out of the hospital this morning."

Giving her a warm smile he reached over and clutched her hand, squeezing it in appreciation, Tea was always looking out for him. "I'm fine Tea, really. Maybe getting away for a while will help me feel stronger."

Still looking uncertain she pulled her hand away from Yugi and back into her lap, looking down at the table silently, and knowing once Yugi made up his mind there was no stopping him. "Just be careful." her gaze lifted to Yami. "You'd better look after him for us."

Her commanding, stern voice caught Yami off guard, causing him to look up from his phone. "Of course I will Tea, you know that by now."

"Yup, and just to be sure I'll be goin' with ya'!" Joey interjected, everyone's eyes turning to him, Tea blinking in confusion and Yugi laughing.

"Sorry Joey, not this time." Yugi giggled at his friend's sure footed attitude.

"Get real, Yami will let me go, won't ya?" Joey asked turning a pair of pleading puppy dog eyes over to him.

Yami rolled his eyes and looked back to his phone. "No Joey, you can't go."

"Ah! Whateva." Joey huffed, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Looks like you're stuck with us, bud." Tristin said giving him a shove, catching him of guard sending him crashing to the floor.

Joey hopped up quickly, shouting at Tristin. Lunch went on this way, the excitement of Yami and Yugi's trip circulating around the table, Joey giving wild ideas and situations they may run into, Tristin dismissing them, and Tea giving words of kind caution.

At the end of the day Yami and Yugi left together, Jarvis waiting at the end of the block, his face breaking into a grin when he saw a smaller figure walking closely alongside Yami. "Master Yugi, so glad to see you are in good health once more." He beamed.

Breaking the formalities Yugi reached forward to give the butler a hug when he opened the passenger door for them. "Thanks Jarvis, and thanks for watching Yami for me while I was gone." He said giving Yami a wink as he climbed into the car.

"You're most welcome, sir." Jarvis said closing the door behind them then circling the car to take his place in the driver's seat. "Where to? Home?" he questioned.

"Actually to my house, if that's alright with you Yami." Yugi said, wanting to tell his grandpa about their trip as soon as possible. "I need to get Ophan anyway, I wanted to bring him to school but we need to talk to the principal first."

"Sure." Yami nodded, knowing the sooner he gave Yugi's guardian time to adjust to the idea of Yugi leaving so far away the better it would be. In the back of his mind he worried that Yugi may not be able to go, and although they'd only had this planned for a few hours Yami's heart was high with hope, it would hurt if they were unable to make the trip.

With his fingers crossed they headed for Yugi's house, a light sheen of perspiration forming across Yami's forehead as his anxiety grew. By the time they reached the house he wasn't sure they should go through with their idea anymore, nervous of Solomon's reaction. "Yugi, maybe this isn't a good idea. Maybe Tea is right, this might just be too soon." Yami said grabbing Yugi gently by the wrist when the boy tried to get out of the car.

Seeing his anxiety Yugi stopped and gave him a warm smile. "Calm down, grandpa doesn't get really worked up over much." He leaned back to give Yami a quick, reassuring kiss, using any excuse he could to connect their lips together, haven missed them for so long. Any time Yami had kissed him it had been to say goodbye. If Yugi thought he could get away with it he'd kiss Yami every time he looked at him just to make a point to himself that kissing didn't mean leaving anymore. "Come on." He said taking Yami by the hand and pulling him out of the car.

Jarvis closed the door behind them and went to wait in the car as he always did, knowing they would either come back out or Yami would text him to pick them up later. The walk to the back of the house stretched out like a mile to Yami, each step his legs felt weak and he found himself pulled back as they grew closer to door.

"Yami you're being ridiculous." Yugi pulled at his hand harder, almost dragging him to the door. For anyone watching it would have been an amusing sight, Yami stiff with fear, each step looking forced and slow, with little Yugi pulling furiously, dragging Yami along quickly with all his force.

After a short lifetime they managed to get to the door, Yugi swinging the door open. "Grandpa, I'm home!" he called into the house. Before his grandfather could respond a quick 'dhump dhump dhump dhump' came from the steps, Ophan flying down them in a tan/white blur and jumping into Yugi's arms, licking his face furiously, whimpering in excitement. All day the little dog had paced the house, anxiously trying to understand why his boy had left him so suddenly. Without a job to do the dog had driven the old man who now stood at the top of the steps, crazy; uncharacteristically barking at him and digging at his feet, desperate for attention.

"Thank gods you are home, that little dog was insane all day missing you." Solomon said gruffly, but unable to keep a smile from his face at the sight of the elated small dog and Yugi who was giggling madly at the kisses Ophan was showering him with.

"Well, I missed him too, didn't I?" Yugi cooed at the dog who buried his head into Yugi's chest, still shaking with excitement. Even Yami had to grin at the two, thinking their connection adorable.

"What a good idea he was…" Yami thought to himself, then looking up to Solomon who was now making his way down the steps. "Solomon, how are you?" he asked, his pervious anxiety creeping back up him.

"Better now that Ophan won't be pestering me." He answered giving Yugi a playful wink so he knew he was only joking. It had been nice to have a companion (even if he was like a magnet) in the house while Yugi was gone, it made things seem less empty.

Wanting to get right to the point Yugi asked his grandpa if they could sit at the table, to which he obliged giving them both questioning looks. "What's going on?" he asked as they took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Yami's father called and wants Yami to visit, so I am going to go with him for a few weeks." Yugi explained, petting Ophan who was still snuggled up in his arms.

"That is great, when will you be leaving?" Solomon asked, surprising Yami greatly who stammered to remember the date he'd set.

Pulling out his phone he had to double check their flight arrangement. "Two days after school ends, so that way we won't miss out on our studies."

Solomon nodded, grateful that Yami had kept his priorities in line, for both himself and his grandson. "Excellent, and where will you be going? Tokyo, Taiji?" he asked, not realizing that they would be traveling countries away.

"Uh…" Yami looked to Yugi, unable to come out with that bit of information when he understood that Solomon's enthusiasm had been over a short distance trip, not a long one.

"Well, um, that's the thing." Yugi said, Yami's anxiety rubbing off on him. Solomon's face fell at their reluctance to answer.

"Where does your father live, Yami?" He asked directly to Yami, cornering the boy out of his silence.

"Um….America?" he said, the answer coming out in a question, as if that would make him able to take the answer back and replace it with a better one.

"America?!" Solomon said alarmed, causing not only the boys to jump but Ophan too.

"Come on grandpa, it'll be fine, really!" Yugi pleaded, opening his arms to allow the dog to jump down onto the kitchen floor, taking refuge from the shouting under Yugi's chair. "Yami said I can even take Ophan with me!"

The elder's face became stern and strict. "No, absolutely not. You only just got out of the hospital today, and Yami I can't believe you even suggested this wild idea! Have you lost your mind or do you no longer care about Yugi's wellbeing?" his scolding cut Yami to the core, his crimson eyes sinking low. Yami had knew it wasn't the best idea and that it had been selfish to feed into Yugi's hopes, but he couldn't help but want it.

"Grandpa don't say that, it was my idea not Yami's." Yugi jumped to his defense, Solomon's hard purple eyes turning on Yugi.

"This is absolutely unacceptable Yugi! You just aren't thinking about this properly, what if something happens when you are thousands of miles away. Who would help you?" he asked, his concern breaking through his mask of anger.

"I would…." Yami said quietly, turning Solomon's attention back to him.

Looking from one boy to the next they sat in silence, Solomon finally rising from his chair turning to leave. "Then I suppose you'd better start packing!" he shouted as he stalked up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him, hating the idea but knowing it was wrong to keep Yugi locked up in the house like he was made of glass. People were given life to live, not be frightened of.

Although they were still felling uncertain Yami and Yugi looked to each to other, purple meeting red as they both smiled. "Yami, we're going to America!" Yugi squealed, causing Yami's smile to resurface.

"Indeed we are." He agreed, leaning over to take Yugi's hand in his own.

~~~~~So, Yugi and Yami are off to the U.S. of A. Any thoughts on Yami's old friends returning into his life, or Yugi going on such a long trip? Hope your liked, please review, and thanks for reading!~~~~~~


	18. Chapter 18: Beginning of summer

~~~~Thank you Little Neko Yugi and mangalover for your continued support : )

Jellio I haven't thought about it, but I suppose I will give it some consideration.

Thanks for the reviews!~~~~~~

Yami leaned back in his seat, slipping his headphone over his ears, his feet propped up on the leg rest that protruded from the chair. Sighing Yugi looked next to him with a bored expression then checked his watch; it read 10:39pm. They'd been on the plane for a miserable 10 hours, with another 4 still to go.

Leaning over Yugi's purple eyes glanced under the seat at Ophan, who was tucked away in his carrier sleeping soundly. Knowing it would be useless to wake him Yugi huffed and sat back in his seat restlessly, putting a magazine out from seat in front of him. He flipped through a few pages then stuffed it back into the pocket, looking over at Yami and giving him a nudge.

Opening an eye Yami slipped the headphone back off of his ears. "What?"

"I'm bored!" Yugi said, pleading for something to do.

"Yugi, I've told you for the fifth time, we are 60,000 feet in the air, there is only so much to do!" he replied impatiently, understanding of his anxiety but wishing he would just go to sleep or something. He had been driving him insane since the last movie had finished playing, fidgeting and tossing around.

Reaching into his pocket Yugi pulled out his duel deck and showed it to Yami. "Let's play."

"Yugi would you just calm down! We only have a few more hours left then you can run your little head off all over America." Yami sighed, Yugi pouting in return. Yami peeked an eye open again to look at the boy and couldn't fight back the smile that crept its way onto his face. He couldn't help it, Yugi was just too cute to be frustrated with, let alone mad at.

Knowing he was winning Yami over Yugi persisted. "Really, I can't believe you expect me to sit around like this and not entertain me." A suggestive tone in his voice. Yami looked over to the boy, startled by his forward behavior. Yugi only turned away from Yami, knowing it would capture his attention more.

Trying to fight back a blush Yami slipped the headphones back onto his ears, as if to block Yugi from his ears and thoughts, turning the volume up on his ipod. "Go do something with yourself." Yami said over his music, not bothering to press pause to hear Yugi's response.

With a dismissive snort Yugi got up and walked his way toward the back of the airplane, taking the opportunity to stretch his legs. The plane was fairly empty, mostly consisting of business men and a few people on their way to America for vacation. One poor man had been confined to a plane entirely too long and had taken to doing sit ups in the isle, which Yugi had to excuse himself around a few times as he paced the plane.

After a while Yami peered beside him to find Yugi still missing. He sighed, remembering what Solomon had told him before they'd left. Yami had been sitting on the couch watching Yugi run from one level of the house to another, furiously grabbing anything he think he might need. Why Yugi felt he'd needed four pairs of shoes for their trip was beyond Yami.

"He is a handful when he gets like this, isn't he?" Yami asked the older man who was sitting beside him, his crimson eyes following Yugi as he made his tenth trip back up the stairs, shouting something about needing another pillow case.

"I prefer to say energetic and lively." Solomon corrected with a small chuckle.

Yami scoffed at the memory as he got out of his seat, peeking down the aisle to see Yugi squeezing his way past the man on the floor as he came back to the front of the plane. As the smaller boy began to walk by Yami grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down into his seat.

"Yami, that guy has been on a plane since he left Australia!" Yugi said as if he'd never been pulled down. Those innocent amethyst eyes Yami loved so much were full of energy, laughter dancing around inside of him as he fought to sit still.

"Really? See how he isn't pacing the plane like a crazy person too?" Yami pointed out.

Yugi nodded seriously. "You're right, he is just doing gym exercises in the middle of the walkway."

At that Yami couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. He just shook his head in response and poked the TV that was on the back of the seat in front of them. A map appeared on the screen, with a small picture of a plane, a green line trailing behind it with dots spaced out in front. "Look, we are almost there, I swear I will do whatever you want to do when we get off the plane, alright?" Yami pleaded, a vision of Yugi hanging off the luggage hold above them crossed his mind and he forced it away, thankful that he hadn't allowed Joey on the trip.

Yugi crossed his arms and sat back with an "Hmph!" not saying anything more until the flight landed.

Hours later a flight attendance's voice chimed throughout the plane cabin, wishing them safe travels and thanking them for flying with their airline as the plane touched down and came to a slow stop. Thanking every god he could think of Yami stood, realizing that Yugi was still sitting with his arms crossed, eyes locked on the seat in front.

"Ugh, Yugi come on!" Yami groaned, giving the boy a tiny push to get him moving. He didn't move, and just to prove a point he tucked his arms tighter to his body and glared ahead.

"Oh no. I wouldn't want to cause a problem Prince Yami." Yugi grumbled without looking at him.

His face became void of emotion and Yami sunk back to his seat, feeling defeated. "Yugi…" he whined, resting his elbows on his knees and putting his hands to his face.

"I just wouldn't want to go anything without permission is all. May I get up now?" Yugi asked, a smile cracking at the edge of his lips.

Yami sighed heavily. "Yes Yugi, you can get up now."

With that Yugi was out of his seat in a blur, whisking Ophan out from under the seat and grabbing his carryon luggage from above. Not bothering to wait for Yami he hurried out of the plane, wishing the guy who had been doing sit up's good luck with wherever he was going. "Next time I'd take a cruise if I were you." Yugi shouted back cheerfully, leaving the man looking bewildered as the shorter boy rushed by.

Like picking up a mess after the wake of a tsunami Yami apologized to the man when he passed, hurrying to catch up after his short but speedy boyfriend.

Catching up to him they made their way outside to arrivals, Yugi let Ophan out of his crate for some much needed exercise and the world's longest bathroom break. While Yugi was off with the dog Yami took his cell phone from his pocket and tapped it, texting his father to let him know where they were at.

As Yugi was walking back with Ophan close to his heels a long black limo pulled up, Yugi and Yami both starring at it unbelievably. Yugi leaned in close to Yami. "No offence, but if this is another situation like your mother, I'm drowning myself in the Atlantic Ocean." He whispered

"You won't be the only one." Yami replied, watching as a tall, thin figure emerged out of the limo after it came to a smooth stop. It quickly became obvious where Yami got his looks from. The man had black and red hair that fell straight to his shoulders, long legs and a lean body. The only difference was age and skin tone, Yami haven gotten that from his mother. Where Yami was paler his father was much darker, looking like he'd spent too much time in a tanning booth. He also walked with a distinctive limp, leaning on a black cane to help steady him.

Yugi couldn't help his head that tilted curiously to the side, wondering if this was anything that Yami would look like when he got older, a handsomely aged face with a complexion that many people would pay money to keep. The one thing he hoped Yami would never has was the dark look his father held in his eyes, like a man who had suffered many years. Those same crimson eyes that Yugi had looked into so many times were now looking back at him, a small light buried behind years of pain.

"You must be Yugi." The man said as he stood tall, leaning on his cane with one hand, the other out stretched toward Yugi in a friendly manner.

Placing his hand in the man's Yugi was surprised at the callouses he felt, but evenly surprised at how gentle the man held his hand, as if afraid to break it. Unbeknown to Yugi the man was in fact worried he'd break him, knowing he currently had Yami's most prized possession standing in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was accidently harm the most precious thing Yami had, as it was a sure way to ruing their relationship before it even got started.

"It is very nice to meet you, I'm Evan." His father said dropping Yugi's hand, then looking to Yami, startled by how much his son had grown. "You are taller."

Yami smirked and looked down at the ground. "Yeah well, now I see where I get it from." He muttered.

The two stood in silence, Yugi looking from one to the other. The tension was enough to smother everyone around them. "Soooo….." Yugi said trying to make things a bit less awkward.

As if startled from his thoughts Evan cleared his throat and turned around, signaling to his driver who got out of the limo and grabbed Yami and Yugi's bags, placing them into the trunk before holding the door open for them to get him.

How Evan managed to get into the Limo with a bad leg was beyond Yugi who practically had to crawl into the long car. It was like getting into a small room, leather seats stretching along every side of the car. There was even an ice chest and a small fridge, full of every drink and snack you ask for. Settleing uneasily into his seat Yugi glanced around quietly at the fancy car. Even little Ophan seemed overwhelmed, quickly hopping in behind Yami and crawling up into Yugi's lap, shaking lightly as the boy tried to comfort him.

"That is a very cute puppy you have there." Evan said as the door closed behind him, trying to best to bring up conversation.

"Thank you, he was a gift from Yami." Yugi said stroking the dog gently to sooth him.

"Oh?" Evan gave his son a questioning look.

Yami only shrugged, not sure if Yugi would want him to share his person information with a man he barely knew. "Everyone needs a dog." He said as if that explained everything, putting a quick end to the brief conversation.

The rest of the drive to Evan's house was quiet, each of them looking out of the car window, Yugi amazed at the new sights. They drove away from the airport, and within 20 minutes Yugi was rewarded for his long flight with a beautiful view of the Washington Monument, lit up against the night sky shinning a beautiful white.

"Woa, Yami is that one of the places you used to go?" Yugi asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Yami nodded and glanced out the window with Yugi. "Mmhmm. It is quiet at night too, I like the city best that way. It's just too busy in the day."

"We will have to go, I want you to show me." Yugi said as his eyes drifted from the Washington Monument to Lincoln Memorial.

Settling back into his seat Yugi snuggled Ophan closer to him, suddenly feeling very far from home. He'd never been away from his family like this, and it was beginning to hit him just how long it would be since he would see his Grandpa again. Glancing over at Yami he felt a little more at ease, knowing he would have him to lean on if he got lonely. The dog in his arms gave him a reproachful look before sliding his tongue across his cheek, as if to say "Hey, I'm here too you know!" Yugi smiled and gave him a scratch behind the ears appreciably.

The limo took a slow turn, Yugi realizing for the first time they had pulled into a neighborhood. The car was making its way up a twisting driveway that lead back into a wonderful patch of woods. Even in the dark Yugi could tell it wasn't the type that stopped after a short walk, it looked thick and lush, teeming with wildlife and adventure.

Just as suddenly as the tree line had begun it stopped, clearing way for a beautiful Victorian style house in the middle. "Look Ophan, you'll be able to run all day." Yugi said holding the dog up to the window to show him the huge yard the surrounded the entire house on all sides in a circle. Ophan only whimpered in return, clearly still feeling the effects of his long term confinement on the plane.

"I hope you all will find my house as comfortable as yours." Evan said as the car pulled to a stop, the door opening for them. Scooting off the seat and out of the car Yugi kept Ophan close, his heart racing with anxiety as he tried to take in the large house he would be calling him for the next few months. It was large, but not like Yami's house. While that house had an air of emptiness about it Evan's house didn't.

It had been beautifully designed, looking like something that would have come right from a gothic era fairy tale. Two towers stretched toward the sky, each complimented by lovely arched windows on either side. Large wooden double doors welcomed guests into the home, and a large porch stretched around half the house. The whole house was painted a lovely light grey, accented by white trim. Every bit of the design had been thought out and planned, making it one large piece of art.

While many people would have thought the house had a unsettling feel Yami and Yugi both thought it was incredible. "I love it." Yami said looking up at the house, the towers in particular. "Tell me that my room is up there?"

Evan shrugged as he made his way to the doors. "If you want, I can have someone fix up a room for you."

"Awesome." Yami said, tarring his eyes away from the house and following after his father, Yugi close on his heels. Much like the exterior the interior of the house proved to be just as awe inspiring, full of beautiful era furniture that Yugi was sure would coast someone an arm and a leg.

Behind them a few people brushed past, bringing the boy's luggage in from the car. "Where can we put this for you, sir?" One asked who was holding Yugi's bag.

"Up stairs please, Arron." Evan said kindly, winning Yugi's approval right then and there. This man was clearly nothing like Yami's mother, much to his relief. Yami's mother never spoke to Jarvis in such a kind tone.

"You boys are welcome to whatever you'd like, please just let anyone know what they can do for you, it won't be a problem." Evan offered. "I think we will skip dinner for tonight, I know you have had a long day of travel, so let's just pick up in the morning, shall we?" he smiled weakly, clearly tired himself.

Although he hadn't been on a plane all day the arrival of his son had caused him a huge amount of stress, working to get everything in order before they got to America. It had been so long since he'd had a child in the house that he knew it was in desperate need of a good dusting and prepping. He'd sent his butlers and maids out for new TV's, video game systems, and to stock up on all manner of useless junk foods, expecting the boys to eat him out of house and home.

"Sure." Yami nodded, his father then excusing himself to the back of the house where his bedroom was. Both boys stood there for a moment, looking around the front of the house which branched into a living room to the left and a dining room on the right, which was complimented by a gothic chandelier and a dark cherry wood table, completed with dark red velvet chairs.

"I have to hand it to your dad, he has really good taste." Yugi said as him and Yami both starred into the dining room.

Yami nodded in agreement. "If it makes people feel like it will eat them, then I'm all about it. Come on let's find our rooms." He said taking Yugi by the hand and dragging him up the stairs.

It took three flights to get to the tower rooms, but once they did Yami was glad they'd put in the effort. A younger man with bright blue eyes and black hair nodded to them in greeting at the top of the stairs. "Master Yami your room is to the left, Master Yugi yours to the right. Please, there is a phone by your bed, if you need anything dial 5." The man said, giving a courteous bow before going to leave.

"We really need to teach these people not to call us Master, it kinda freaks me out." Yugi said watching at the man went down the steps.

Yami shrugged, used to the treatment from Jarvis. "I'm pretty sure with what they are paid they will call you a monkey if you asked." He said opening the door to his room.

"Now this." Yami stepped into his room. "This is awesome." He said with an appreciative nod. His room was painted his favorite dark violet, the wardrobe, dresser, and four post bed all made from the same dark cherry wood like the table from the dining room. Much to his delight a dimly lit chandelier hung overhead too, casting just the right amount of light in the room. You could see the beauty of the room, but it wasn't bright enough to pick out any flaws. This was easily a room you could see till 3 in the afternoon in, something he planned of doing more than once this summer.

Anxious to see his own room Yugi bounced across the hallway and flung his door open, delighted when he saw it looked very much like Yami's, only brighter. It wasn't nearly as gloomy, so he thought, which suited him perfectly. A lighter tone of purple covered the walls and a few bright lights were stuck to the corners of the room, a switch near by allowed the option for dimming.

Looking toward the TV Yami noticed a purple cube sitting on the floor. "I have a Gamecube!" Yugi shouted, unbelieving that such an old game system was sitting there, waiting to be played.

"Nu uh!" Yami said poking his head into the room, jealous that he'd gotten the better of the deal. His room had come with a Wii, a much poorer system in his opinion.

"Yu huh!" Yugi said switching the TV on and turning the system on. Not bothering to unpack they both flopped down in front of the TV, each taking a controller quickly becoming engrossed in an intense game of Mario Party. After a lot of shoving, cussing, and general foul mouthed shouting Yami came out the victor, jumping up from the floor shouting in triumph. "HA HA! I win!" He stuck his tongue out at Yugi.

"Put that tongue away unless you plan on using it." Yugi muttered, sulking a bit at his misfortune. Everyone knew Mario Party was a game of luck anyway.

"Awwww." Yami leaned down and shoved himself against Yugi. "We aren't feeling a bit sore are we?" he teased.

Yugi gave him a shove. "Get real! You just got lucky." He said with a smile.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed, I have plans for us tomorrow." Yami said standing up to leave to his room.

"What plans?" Yugi asked, laying back on the floor to watch as he disappeared behind his own door.

Unwilling to let the subject drop Yugi dug through his suitcases and pulled out his favorite blue and yellow stared pajama pants and changed into them. After he had pulled out Ophan's dog bed and gotten him settled he went over to Yami's room, finding Yami resting in his bed, propped up on some pillows as he watched TV.

He couldn't help but stare at Yami's bare chest, biting down on his lip gently to distract his thoughts. "What are we doing tomorrow?" Yugi asked crawling in bed next to Yami who moved over to make more room.

"You're going to meet my friends." Yami explained, picking up the remote and turning the TV down to a reasonably quiet level.

"Are they nice?" Yugi asked as he curled up to Yami, resting his head on Yami's chest, breathing in his sent as he nuzzled into him.

Yami hesitated before answering. "They are different, let's just say that." His hand came down to Yugi, petting his hair lightly. Before he had a chance to reply Yugi drifted into a deep sleep, Yami's hand sending goose bumps through his body as it slid through his hair repeatedly, lulling him into a quiet sleep.

Glancing down to make sure he was asleep Yami reached over and grabbed his phone from a nightstand that was by the bed and touched the screen, looking at his text messages.

"We will see you tomorrow then."

Yami touched the phone to type a message back. "No trouble you guys, I mean it. I just want to have a good day, alright?"

The phone vibrated back quickly. "Sure thing Atem."

Yami rolled his eyes at the named they used for him and set the phone back onto the table, sinking down into the bed to snuggle his Aibou and drift off into the dream world.

Late the next day the sun snuck into Yami's room, a ray of light stretching out to greet Yugi right in the face. The young boy's face scrunched up, the light disturbing him from his deep slumber. Putting a hand in front of his face he blocked the thin ray of sun from his eyes and turned over, putting his back to the window that had allowed the intrusion.

Wrapping his arms around Yami he snuggled against him again, yawning as he became more awake. It was a gift and a curse to have a lot of energy, and the curse was not being able to go back to sleep once he'd woken up. To top it off something was scratching at Yami's door, accompanied by whining.

"Ophan…" Yugi groaned, sitting up in bed as he rubbed his eyes, giving another large yawn.

Beside him Yami groaned, rolling over to face Yami, the sunlight now shinning in his eyes. "Ugh!" he grunted, moving his head quickly to avoid it.

"Tell me about it, that's what woke me up." Yugi said sliding out of bed and going to open the door. Ophan dashed into the room and began to bark furiously at Yugi, who looked at him completely confused in return. "What?" he asked as the dog jumped gracefully onto the bed, trotting over Yami as he continued to bark loudly at Yugi.

"Get off you goofy thing!" Yami said sitting up, Ophan jumping off his chest and onto the floor, continuing his ridiculous rant toward Yugi. "Yugi what is his problem?"

"Outside?" Yugi asked hopefully to the dog. As if answering his question Ophan snorted and barked again relentlessly. Yugi stood, looking baffled before it hit him. "Oh! My medicines! I forgot to take them last night!" he rushed out of the room, digging through his carryon bag as Yami got dressed.

Slipping his pills into his pocket Yugi threw a shirt on and went back to Yami, the two going down stairs for breakfast, or lunch, whichever it was.

Ophan followed quietly behind, rushing out the front door the Yugi opened for him before going into the dining room. Food had been set out on the table, Evan sitting in the middle. The man swallowed a mouth full of food and took a drink, looking over to the boys when they entered the room. "Afternoon." He said taking notice of their sleepy state.

"Morning." Yami yawned, sitting down on the other side of the table with Yugi next to him.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked as the boys began to fill their plates with sandwich slices and fruit.

Yami nodded as he popped a grape into his mouth, glancing to Yugi who nodded as well. "I did thanks. The sun was a bit bright though. Anything we can do about that?" Yugi joked with a smile.

Evan nodded seriously, missing the humorous tone in Yugi's voice. "Absolutely. Arron!" Evan called out, the young man from the previous night appearing quickly by his side. "Please see to it that the boy's room will be comfortable in the mornings."

With a nod the Arron slipped back out of the room, leaving Yugi with blushed cheeks, feeling like he's just caused unnecessary work for the man on accident. "It was just a joke, sir." He muttered putting a slice of watermelon into his mouth to avoid having to talk again.

Evan waved a dismissive hand at the smaller boy. "No worries, Yugi m'boy. It is a quick fix. Now Yami, tell me, how is Japan?" he asked sitting back in his chair, ignoring his meal.

Yami shrugged. "Good. I met Yugi anyway." He said, not sure what else there was to say about Domino. "Mom is still miserable." He said giving his father a start at the mention of his ex-wife. He hadn't expected Yami to be willing to talk about her to him, at least not right away.

"I know." He said giving a sad smile and a short nod. "I'm grateful you both came to see me. I didn't think your mother would let you to be honest."

"Psh." Yami took a bite of his sandwich, chewed, then swallowed. "She is away. Paris I think?" He asked himself, trying to remember what Jarvis had told him.

Evan eyebrows raised at this. "Well, at least she is putting good use to my money."

Yugi laughed. "She spends way too much time at the mall, really you can tell." He said remembering the over tan look she had and the ridiculous bright lipstick colors she wore.

"He isn't lying." Yami nodded in agreement, Evan smiling more lightly at that.

"Well, she always was about fashion I suppose." He sighed, taking another sip of orange juice. "Do you boys have plans today?"

"I'm going to take Yugi to meet Bakura and Marik." Yami said finishing off the rest of the fruit he had on his plate.

"You old friends from elementary school?" Evan looked surprised. "I didn't know you had kept in touch with them."

"Oh yeah, I was friends with them right till mom made me move." Yami explained, pushing his clean plate away from him and taking a long drink of water.

"Ah, I see." Was all Evan said, looking down at the table as he swirled his rink around in his hand absent mindedly.

Yugi's eyes trail from Evan to Yami, and he stood up abruptly, taking a sandwich with him. "I'm going to get changed then. I can't be meeting people in my pajamas. I'll see you back down here Yami." He said rushing off to the steps before Yami could object, leaving the two sitting at the table, giving them much needed privacy. Forgetting about his medicine he chuckled nervously as he slipped quickly back into the dining room, snatched a cup of water, and disappeared again rushing up stairs. On his way he filled his mouth with water, tossed his head back and popped his pills into his mouth, swallowing them down in one drink.

Going into his room Yugi saw Aaron removing the blinds from Yami's room and replacing them with thick black curtains, another maid helping him lift the heavy burden. Knowing telling them it was unnecessary would do him no good Yugi went into his room, closing the door behind him to change.

After much deliberation and a good amount of his clothes now on the floor Yugi stuck with something simple. He'd threw on Yami's hoodie and a black pair of jeans, complimented with a plain pair of sneakers. Nothing fancy, but it sure was comfy. Glancing out his window he saw Ophan running across the yard, in a high speed pursuit of a rabbit he was quickly gaining on. Laughing to himself Yugi left the window and made his way back down stairs, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pocket as he went.

By the time he'd changed and gotten downstairs he was surprised to see Yami and Evan engaged in what seemed to be polite conversation, Evan telling Yami all about his company and recent business endeavors. "We've paid with Kiba Corp. investing in Mr. Kiba's most recent invention. Something about a duel disk." Evan was in the middle of explaining.

"Duel disk?" Yami asked curiously, not seeing Yugi as he leaned on the wall behind him.

"Yes, it will allow players to duel anywhere, if I'm not mistaken." Evan said with a nod.

"Hm, sounds interesting enough." Yami muttered.

"Well, are you boys all set to go then?" Evan asked standing from the table, using the corner for support since his cane had been left in his room.

Yami turned to look behind him, noticing Yugi. He smiled faintly at the sight of Yugi in his hoodie, thinking to himself that he needed to let Yugi borrow his clothes more often. It was absolutely adorable.

"I am if you are Yami." Yugi said with a smile, trying to fight the blush off that he'd had from Yami looking at him adoringly.

"Sure." Yami stood from the table. "Um.." he turned to face his father. "I don't have a car. I uh, do you're maids really have to drive us everywhere?" he questioned, not wanting to seem like he was asking for a car, but knowing that if they were to have any freedom or fun it would be a necessity.

"There is a set of keys hanging up by the door, take the one's all the way to the right, the garage is down the drive way a bit." Evan said turning to leave out of the dining room. He stopped and glanced back at his son. "Oh, and Yami, please don't wreck my car."

Giving him a questioning look Yami shrugged when the man left, looking at Yugi and giving him a shrug. "Like wrecking cars is my favorite past time, I guess." He said going to the front door and grabbing the set of keys he'd been instructed to grab. Looking at the emblem on the keys he sighed. "A ford, I swear if he makes me drive a truck I'm going to lose my mind." Yami muttered as he opened the door.

"Hey!" Yugi squinted his eyes as he closed the door behind them. "What's wrong with trucks? I like trucks." He said defensively.

Yami looked back over his shoulder at him as they walked. "Have you ever tried to drive really fast in a truck? It is like kicking a log and expecting it to roll straight. Possible but not probable."

Yugi rolled his eyes and walked along side Yami as they went down the driveway. "Do you think Ohpan will be alright on his own?" Yugi asked concerned as he watched the small dog run around in the yard while Yami opened the three car garage door.

Yami nodded. "I'm sure he will be fine, Evan knows he means a lot to you." He reassured him. The large white garage door ascended, revealing three different cars.

Now knowing a thing about cars Yugi only thought they looked pretty, while Yami stood with his eyes wide and jaw hung open. "Holy shit…" he said looking at the three cars, which easily totaled over a million dollars.

"What?" Yugi asked looking at the cars with a frown.

" A 1969 Ford Boss, a 2001 Dodge Viper, and a fucking Lamborghini. " Yami said unable to contain his shock and excitement. Looking at the keys in his hand he thought about the ford symbol. His eyes slowly shifted from the keys to the 1969 Ford Boss, which was painted a brilliant black with grey racing stripes, the engine peeking from the hood of the car, boasting a brilliant chrome finish. "YES, YES, YES, FUCKING YES!" Yami shouted, unlocking the car and throwing the door open.

Yugi only rolled his eye again, thinking Yami was acting ridiculous over a car that wasn't even his. Silently he got into the passenger side, listening as Yami ranted on and on about the design of the car, the interior, and something about being a low 6 second car without somethin' somethin' assistance. Whatever that meant.

"Can we go now?" Yugi asked, turning his head boringly over to look at Yami who was practically drooling over the steering wheel.

"Hell yes we can!" Yami slammed the key into the ignition and the car purred to life, emitting a deep rich sound the shook your body.

Before pulling out of the driveway Yami tossed his phone over to Yugi. "You text, tell Marik we will be there in about 10 minuets."

"10 minuets? Where are we going?" Yugi asked as he tapped on the phone to find Yami's messages.

"Downtown, to DC." Yami said turning into the small neighborhood that lead to the Parkway.

"I thought that took longer?" Yugi asked, frowning as he remembered the drive last night. It seemed to have taken so much longer than just 10 minutes.

Yami smirked. "Sometimes." Then he slammed onto the gas, turning out onto the busy Parkway that would lead them into downtown, breaking every speed limit that was thrown his way.


	19. Chapter 19: Hidden Yami

~~~~Millennium, if you want google it. It is one sweet car! Thanks for your review too.

Manga lover and Neko I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter.

The story takes a big turn here, I hope you guys will like it and not freak out over what I've done. I thought about changing it, but I really wanted to stick to Yugi's innocence and Yami's darker side, just in a different way.

Warning for drug use.~~~~

The sleek black ford screeched to a stop in front of the National Mall. Luckily enough Yami had managed to find a parking spot smack dab in the middle of Constitution Avenue, and for anyone who didn't know this was near impossible. Before the car had shut off the passenger side door flew open.

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE YAMI?!" Yugi yelled, yanking his seatbelt off and escaping from the car before Yami had the chance to drive it again. The small boy's feet hit the ground and he almost fell, his legs feeling like jelly as adrenaline surged through him. Although he never wanted to see the black car again he couldn't help but stretch a hand out onto the roof, hoping to steady himself.

Back in Japan Yami had never driven above the speed limit. Now Yugi understood that it had nothing to do with Yami being a "law abiding citizen", he just didn't like his car enough! To make matters worse the police had finally caught up to Yami, red and blue lights flashing behind them as Yami laughed from his adrenaline high in the driver seat of the car.

"Jesus I've never driven above 120 before." He laughed harder, feeling light headed from the rush.

"Sir, put the keys on top of the car and step away from the vehicle!" an officer's voice blared from a cop car behind them.

"Yami stop laughing, this isn't funny!" Yugi said still trying to steady himself, now panicking over the steadily growing number of police officers.

"Calm down Yugi." Yami said taking the keys from the car ignition and tossing them onto the roof then stepping out of the car, leaving the door wide open. He placed his hands on his hand and got down to his knees as instructed by and officer who had a gun drawn, and wasn't surprised when he was rushed by the cop.

Yugi shouted out in surprise, trying to go to Yami's aid when another female officer grabbed his wrist. "If you try to get involved I'll place you under arrest for assaulting an officer and interfering with an investigation." she shouted at him, Yugi stopping in his tracks as he watched Yami get handcuffs put on him.

What could he do?! He was stuck in America with no one else around, and now Yami was being taken from him. To make things worse he couldn't even drive Evan's car! Yami still had his American driver's license while Yugi only had his from Japan. "Miss please, he was just being an idiot I swear I won't let him do it again!" Yugi pleaded, tears welting up in his eyes, hoping that somehow this woman could help him.

"Kid, just calm down. If he doesn't have any warrants they will let him go with a ticket. All I need from you is your ID." By now a few people had stopped to watch, hoping for some spectacular police chase or some other type of entertainment. Yugi flushed at the unwanted attention and pulled his passport out of his back pocket, handing it over to the officer, wishing he'd of brought Ophan with him for comfort.

Yugi stepped back from the car as two other officers closed in to search it while Yami sat in the backseat of the nearest car, looking completely unconcerned and almost bored. If Yugi had to guess he would have said this was something Yami had been through once or twice in his life.

After what felt like a lifetime the female officer came back and handed Yugi his passport, instructing him to have a seat on the curb while he waited. "They are just writing him a ticket. Just try to make sure your friend doesn't pull any more stupid stunts, okay?" she said sympathetically, feeling bad for the small boy who looked like he was going to faint.

"Yes ma'am." Yugi said with a sharp nod, throwing a wicked glare to Yami in the backseat of the car. Doing as he was told Yugi took a seat and watched as the cop cars pulled away one by one, leaving only the car that held Yami and one officer who looked like someone had just kicked him in the leg, apparently outraged at Yami's lack of obedience for the law.

Of all the people who had watched the scene unfold two had stayed. Both were about Yami's height and age. One had a dark complexion with blonde hair, the other pale as Yugi with white hair and striking blue eyes. Both looked on amused, and just when Yugi was getting ready to tell them to shove off Yami stepped out of the cop car, waiting patiently as the officer slipped the handcuffs off him. "Look kid, if I catch you doing this again, you're going to jail. This was easily reckless driving, and I shouldn't be letting you off this like this." He grumbled unhappily, folding the handcuffs away onto his belt. "I mean it, don't let me catch you doing this crap again."

"Yeah Atem, next time drive like a good little boy." Shouted the boy with blonde hair who had been watching, causing the other to burst into laughter that he had been holding in.

Yugi looked back at the two at the mention of Yami's middle name, wondering how on earth they knew it. The cop shot the two a glare mean enough to kill and they quieted down quickly. "Here, have fun explaining this to your parents." The cop said, handing Yami a yellow piece of paper before retreated from the teens to his car. The lights on top of the car went dark and Yami walked over to Yugi, rubbing his wrists trying to sooth the red marks that had been left by the handcuffs.

"D.C. cops." He said with a sigh, shaking his head as if this was somehow their fault and not his.

Yugi wasn't hearing any of it. "Yami are you insane?!" he shouted, shoving Yami forcefully when he approached him.

"Yugi calm do-" Yami started, but was quickly cut off.

"No! No, I damn well will not 'calm down'! What the hell was I going to do if they took you away to jail? Call a fucking taxi!?" Yugi shouted, shoving Yami again for good measure, unable to control his blind rage that was being fuled by the fear he'd encountered when he thought of losing Yami.

Yami took a step away and wait for him to calm, knowing Yugi did had a reason to be upset but thinking he was taking things just a bit too far.

"Really Yami you were being a damn idiot!" Yugi yelled again stomping his foot, his face hot with anger.

"Yugi, I'm sorry." Yami said hoping to settle him down.

"You damn well better be!" Yugi said throwing Yami's phone at him and stomping off, heading toward the large monument that towered nearby.

Scratching the back of his head Yami sighed heavily, knowing he was in deep trouble. He'd never seen Yugi upset like this before. As he tried to think of a way to get Yugi back he turned to look at the two boys who were rolling with laughter again, and he couldn't help but smirk. Scooping down to pick up his phone he walked over to them, giving the boy with white hair a playful push.

"It's not funny, Bakura."he grinned.

"Your new boy toy has quite a temper there Atem." Bakura said between bouts of laughter.

"Don't call him that." Yami snapped. Even though they were longtime friends Yami wouldn't allow them to disrespect Yugi like that, no matter how loud Yugi shouted at him.

The blonde hair boy scoffed and tossed an arm around Yami, giving him a lose hug. "Good to have you back." He said letting go.

"It's nice to see you too Marik, I've missed you guys." Yami said with an honest smile.

"Yea, we thought about nabbing you back from Domino but we figured we would let you terrorize Japan for a while." Bakura said with a shrug.

"Ah, yeah." Yami replied uneasily, thinking about how much of his time in his new home had been spent with Yugi, not running around creating trouble. Speaking of Yugi. Yami looked back behind him to see Yugi still stomping his way to the Washington Monument. "We'd better go get him." Yami sighed, taking off after Yugi with his friends close behind, teasing him the whole way about whimpering back to Yugi.

"Would you two just shut up for once?" Yami said when he finally caught up to Yugi. Bakura had taken to dramatically acting out his apology to Yugi, even going so far as to pick a flower and kneel down to Marik, begging for forgiveness.

Ignoring them he reached out and grabbed Yugi by the hand. "Yugi come on, I want you to meet my friends. Please don't stay mad at me." He said pulling Yugi to a stop.

Yugi turned to face him, but kept his gaze toward the ground, trying to hide his red face and any evidence that he'd been crying. It was embarrassing enough that he'd stomped off like that, he didn't want Yami's friends thinking he was a cry baby too.

"That really wasn't funny, Yami. Your dad is going to be disappointed too, I'm sure that ticket coast a lot of money." Yugi muttered keeping his eyes on the ground.

Although Yami didn't see the severity of the situation he did feel guilty, knowing deep down that Yugi was right. "I won't do it again." He said, Yugi looking up at him doubtfully. "I promise." Yami said sealing the deal.

Nodding in satisfaction Yugi turned to the two boys, one who was still on a knee while the other laughed hysterically.

"The idiot with the flower is Bakura, the one laughing is Marik. Guys quit being stupid and come over to say hi." Yami said ignoring their antics.

Cutting the theatrics they came over to Yugi to say hello, Bakura bowing low and Marik kissing the back of his hand in mock flattery. "Pleasure to meet you sir, it is nice to know the person who finally manage to tie the famous Atem down." Marik said.

"Famous?" Yugi gave Yami a questioning look.

"Ignore him. Really." Yami said smacking Marik's head away from Yugi's hand that he'd been kissing. "Paws off bud."

"Oh, possessive are we?" Bakura jeered with a playful smile.

"Only a lot." Yami said proudly causing Yugi to blush again and look down at his shoes.

"Aw," Marik shoved Bakura. "Look you made him blush, he is a cute one Atem." He cooed, making Yami blush now too.

Both Marik and Bakura laughed again, enjoying the sight of Yami looking so vulnerable. "Wait till the gang gets a load of this." Marik chuckled. "Love stuck Atem."

Yami only rolled his eyes and took Yugi's hand, linking their fingers. "If you both are done can I wanted to show Yugi around before we did anything else."

Marik's face wrinkled up in distaste. "Ew, with all these people? Look at the line to the Washington." He said pointing a finger toward the nearest landmark. A long line stretched out front of the tall pencil like building. To make matters worse it didn't even look like it was moving.

"Well, then what about the Lincoln?" Yami suggested.

"Whatever." Marik shrugged, placing his hands on top of his head and strolling toward the Washington Monument.

The others followed along, Yugi looking at the structures around them. "There aren't any tall buildings like I thought there would be…" he noticed, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Nothing can be taller than the Washington Monument, standing at 555 feet tall. Over in Arlington you can see a few taller buildings though." Bakura said sounding very matter of fact, pointing to the left where Yugi could barely make out what looked to be a few taller office buildings.

"Huh…"Yugi watched as they passed the tall monument, then stopped abruptly to stare at it, realizing something for the first time. "Yami, it's an obelisk! Like in Egypt."

Marik rolled his eyes as they came to a stop. "He is quite the observer isn't he?" he muttered.

"Smarter than you'll ever be Marik." Yami said slyly before turning to Yugi. "Exactly a like actually. You know how they built obelisks to honor people, or gods?" Yugi nodded. "They made that in honor of George Washington, so they found the design appropriate."

"I guess that makes sense then." Yugi said looking back at the structure as they continued to walk.

Rather than walk across the large stretch of grass that surrounded them on all sides Yami led their group across the street and down a busy road, taking refuge in the shadows cast by a small cluster of trees.

Trying to take everything in was turning into a seemingly impossible task for Yugi. On their right he caught a glimpse of the White House, on his left was the Martin Luther King memorial and back behind that was the Holocaust Museum, a place that Yugi desperately wanted to avoid. Reading about it in World History had been enough for him, thanks very much. Not to mention the large statues that seemed to dot the entire area. How Yami kept his bearings was a mystery, Yugi knew if he dared to take a left or a right he'd certainly be lost.

"This place is huge, like Tokyo except more complicated." Yugi said watching as a car drove past, then quickly swerved to the right to avoid turning onto a one way street causing the tiers to screech loudly.

"Idiot." Yami, Marik, and Bakura all said at once, each chuckling at the old joke they had.

"It was made that way. When wars were still going on D.C. was designed to confuse people, that way getting to the important buildings like the white house and the capital was nearly impossible if you didn't know what you were doing." Bakura said uninterested, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they walked, his eyes drifting up to the sky as if begging the gods for something to do.

"Wow." Yugi said, impressed at how much thought seemed to go into the building and composition of the whole area. Glancing back to the left something caught his eyes, making his heart race. "WATER!" he shouted, running across the street without looking, momentarily losing his sanity.

"Yugi!" Yami shouted diving after the boy as an oncoming car screeched to a stop, the driver promptly giving Yami the finger as he chased after his suddenly crazed boyfriend.

Marik and Bakura stood on the sidewalk, looking on with interest as Yami chased the small boy down to the water's edge of the Potomac River. "Little kid is fast." Marik noted, watching as Yami cussed out loud unable to catch up with Yugi.

They waited until the light turned red to cross the street safely. By that time Yami had a firm grip on Yugi's shirt, Yugi wiggling desperately to escape his grasp. "Yugi, that water is disgusting! You can not swim in there!"

"Aw, Atem don't be like that. Let him take a dive, he will come out smelling like a fresh swamp alligator." Bakura said trying to fight down the laughter that was bubbling up in him again.

"Yami come on! Look the river is huge!" Yugi said trying again to free himself and failing. "There is even a small island! I bet anything I could swim there."

"I'm sure you could but that doesn't mean you should." Yami said sternly, tightening his grasp on Yugi's shirt.

Without warning Yugi lifted his arms and pulled back, pulling right out of the shirt that Yami was holding onto. A baffled expression smacked onto Yami's face as Yugi ran and jumped into the water, leaving Yami standing with a shirt and nothing more.

Unable to control themselves any longer Marik and Bakura rang with laughter, Bakura leaning on Marik to steady himself. "Look at his face!" he howled, pointing to Yami who looked like a monster had just jumped out of at him, with large eyes and his mouth ajar.

Crossing his arms Yami glared at Yugi who was swimming happily around in the water. "I swear if an undertow drags you down I'm just going to watch!" he shouted out to Yugi.

"Liar!" came Yugi's voice in return.

"Whatever." Yami scoffed, knowing any second something would happen to turn things in his favor. Although Yugi loved the water he was positive he wouldn't love what lived in it. Especially since Yugi hadn't swam in a river like this before. Thinking of their swimming spot back in Domino it dwarfed the Potomac, which meant much more was living in there than just fish. It was this bit of knowledge that allowed Yami to ignore Marik and Bakura, who stood behind him cackling like school girls.

Right on cue with his thoughts Yugi gave a loud scream, Yami only smirking in response. "Yami! Oh my god Yami, something just came out of the water!" he squealed frantically, splashing around momentarily forgetting how to swim in his panic. "It has fins, I swear it had fins like a shark!"

Yami dropped his arms to his side, placing one of his hip, tilting his head on the side giving an overly exaggerated look of confusion. "You don't say!"

Regaining control of himself Yugi quickly swam back over to shore, kicking it into high gear when another set of fins splashed out of the water close by. Both Bakura and Marik stopped laughing when they saw how quick the small boy could swim. "Woa, he is fast." The blonde said.

"You've no idea." Yami said, watching as Yugi neared the shore.

Panting Yugi climbed out of the water and collapsed face first onto the grass. "What the hell!?"he said, his hands shaking from fear.

"It's called a stingray." Yami said dropping his hand that was on his hip and helping Yugi up, shoving his shirt into his hands once he was on his feet.

"Ugh, you could have warned me. I thought it was a shark." Yugi said grudgingly, throwing his shirt over his shoulder to allow himself time to dry off.

"Next time I'll be sure to tell you before you make a suicidal lunge into the street." Yami grumbled, turning and leaving the shore area in exchange for the street.

Heading back toward the street Bakura and Marik laughed with Yugi, calling him ridiculous for pulling such a stupid stunt. Aggravated with the lot of them Yami walked ahead of them a bit, turning into the small cluster of trees to their right.

After five minutes or so Yami was feeling more calm and he slowed his pace, allowing the others to catch up. Yugi took his arm and leaned against him, looking up at him with soft amethyst puppy dog eyes. "Yami don't be mad. Now we are even."

"Uh, is that what that was?" Yami snapped, his ager creeping back up on him.

"No, that was me really wanting to go for a swim and the result of being cooped up on a plane for hours on end." Yugi explained as if it were only common sense.

"Yeah Atem, doesn't take a scientist to figure it out." Bakura sighed, shaking his head as if to say 'duh'.

Rolling his eyes they continued to walk, and a short distance away the trees began to thin. A large white marble building perched on a small hill came into view. Looking at the white marble pillars that supported the roof Yugi was reminded slightly of a building you would find in ancient Rome. They stepped onto the stairs and began the short climb to the top, a statue of a man sitting on a chair coming into view.

"That's Lincoln, right?" Yugi asked to be sure.

Yami nodded. "Mmhmm, one of my favorite historical figures too." He mused.

People were crowded in the hall where the statue sat, taking pictures, recording videos or listening to a tour guide who was giving information about the infamous president. Pressing close to Yami Yugi did his best to avoid brushing against people who seemed to not realize they were close to plowing him over. Both Bakura and Marik looked like they were about to yell at someone, and when a woman knocked Bakura to the side to push past him he finally snapped. "I mean really lady?! Would saying excuse me kill you?!" he shouted, Marik grabbing him by the arm to drag him away before he could make a scene.

"Come on guys." He said still dragging Bakura with him as he walked them away from the inside of the building. At the entrance the building was a walkway, thick enough to accommodate a large crowd of people that stretched all the way around the outside of the memorial. It was here that there was very few people. Everyone had gathered inside to see the famous statue, but few bothered to find the real treasure of the site. Such was the ways of D.C. You often missed the best parts if you went with the crowd.

Walking toward the back of the building along the walk way there was only a small group of younger kids, climbing around the marble and running around happily. With a sigh Bakura and Marik flopped down on the ground, hanging their feet off the edge of the building that lead to a five or six foot drop below. Out ahead of them they were treated to a beautiful site. The Potomac River was stretched out to their left, and out in front of them Yugi could now get a clearer few of the nearby county, taking note of the tall office buildings that had been mentioned earlier.

Despite being surrounded by busy streets there was a unique quite, compliment by a cool breeze that blew in off the river side. "This is pretty neat up here you guys." Yugi said glancing down at the grass below as he leaned against a large marble pillar. The warm stone felt wonderful against his bare back, reminding him slightly of the shower Yami had back in Domino.

"You should see it at night." Marik said letting out a lazy yawn, looking up at the white stone roof. "Can we go back to Bakura's place now? I've had just about enough of crazy tourist people, thanks."

Yami looked to Yugi, giving him a questioning look asking if he was ready to go yet. Bakura had been right earlier, there was just too many people out now, and the heat of the day was starting to bare down on them. Those two together were a combination for quick tempers and attitude problems that were sure to come.

"Sounds good to me. How're we getting there?" Yugi asked looking from Yami to Bakura.

"We could take the metro." Marik suggested.

"Uh! Yuck, no way. I'll drive." Yami said couching down on the ledge and looking below. "The damn metro is always packed during the summer, and late."

Yugi watched as Yami leaned forward and jumped down the ledge, landing with ease on the grass below. Bakura and Marik followed, but Yugi stood above them. It was one thing to jump into the water, it was another to jump down so high to something solid. True the fall wouldn't kill him, not even close, but it did threaten to break an ankle at least.

"I thought you were afraid of heights?" Yugi questioned trying to fight back his own sudden fear.

Marik smirked. "Not this jump, I shoved him off enough times to get him used to it."

Yami shot a glare at Marik before looking up to Yugi. "Jump, I'll catch you." He promised, holding his arms out. Yugi looked down, still unsure. He knew Yami was strong enough to catch him, but something made him hesitant regardless.

"Haha, he doesn't trust you." Bakura teased, sticking out his tongue when Marik nudged him to shut up.

"Go kick rocks." Yami said, not taking his eyes off his Yugi. "Come on." He said motioning Yugi forward.

Slowly Yugi crouched down and hung his legs off the side, dangling them as he debated to jump or not. Looking at Yami he pushed himself forward and off the ledge, his body stiffening up anticipating the pain that never came. Just as he promised Yami had caught him and set him easily to the ground.

"You should trust me more often Aibou." Yami whispered to him, quiet enough only for them to hear before letting him go.

Yugi blushed lightly at his hesitation, feeling silly about not haven trusted him when he asked. "Sorry."

"Don't be, let's get to the car, it's getting hotter out." Yami said shrugging it off and walked away from the building, directing the group back toward where the car was parked.

By the time they got back each of them was hot and rather grumpy. It had been about 10 blocks, and along the way they'd been caught up in a large tour group, each person wearing a bright lime green shirt. The group consisted of younger teens, every single one overly excited to be on such a big trip. It was this excitement that lead to extremely obnoxious behavior that separated the group.

Yami had been shoved away from Yugi while Bakura and Marik had practically been pushed off the side walk and into the street while they passed. After some choice words from Marik they had met back up at the car, each wanting nothing more than to leave.

"We should have waited until tonight." Bakura grumbled as he climbed into the backseat of the Ford. Marik slid in next to him and Yugi pushed the front passenger seat back into place, getting into the car and closing the door.

"I didn't think it would be so crazy like this. It reminds me a lot of Tokyo." Yugi let out a heavy sigh as Yami started the car.

"Remind me to never visit Tokyo." Yami mumbled as he pulled out of his parking spot and onto the busy street. "Are you still in your same apartment Bakura?" he asked glancing at his friend in the back seat through the rear view mirror.

"You know it." He replied, looking over to Marik and silently mouthing the words "Watch this."

Without a word he lifted his feet and stuck them on the back of Yami's seat, stretching heavily digging his feet into the leather. He even added a large yawn in for affect.

"What are you doing?" Yami shot back to him quickly, feeling the pressure against his back.

"Just having a bit of a stretch is all. Walking in that heat made me tired." Bakura replied innocently lifting one hand in a dismissive shrug.

"Get-your-feet-off….now." Yami growled, reaching with one arm behind him attempting to grab Bakura's leg, the car swerving as he did.

"Yami you drive, I got this." Yugi said unclipping his seat belt and climbing into the back, smashing his way between Marik and Bakura. "You guys know how Yami is about cars, don't be stupid." He said crossing his arms and legs then closing his eyes trying to give off an air of authority.

Marik and Bakura laughed a healthy laugh and Marik dove on top of Yugi, rubbing his knuckles against his head. "Atem you got quite a fighter on your hands back here." He jeered.

"Knock it off!" Yugi yelled trying to shove Marik off him, failing miserably when Bakura joined the backseat brawl by holding him down.

"You three are like a van full of children! I swear I will turn this car around!" Yami threatened, swerving the car a good three times, tossing them around in the backseat to break them up.

The last he saw Yugi had his shoe in his hand and was whacking Marik on the head before they were thrown to the left, then to the right, then to the left again in movement with the car's sudden jerks.

"Break it up!" he growled, glancing back at them again in his mirror.

Marik rubbed his head gingerly as it had been smacked against the small window in the back and Yugi straightened himself up, climbing off the floor board he'd been thrown down too. "They started it." He accused.

Yami gave a dismissive snort and turned on the radio, ignoring his friends in the back seat as they made the short, but long drive to Bakura's apartment on the other side of the city. Even though it was only a few miles away the never ending stop lights turned the trip into a very long 20 minutes, Yami occasionally reaching behind him to try and settle Bakura who was doing his very best to be aggravating.

After what felt like a lifetime Yami pulled up to an apartment building. It was nothing fancy, being a large red brick building of three floors. Turning off the car Yami stepped out and drug his friends, and Yugi out of the backseat quickly before they could attempt any more damage on the expensive car. "If your shoes scuffed that leather I am going to find you and skin you alive." He growled letting go of Bakura after he'd pulled him from the car.

The white hair boy only laughed in response, thinking Yami's quick temper to be funny. "I'm so scared. Look Marik, I'm shaking in my shoes." He said making his legs wiggle as he pulled his apartment keys from his pocket. Yami gave him a big shove as they walked up to a sliding glass door that was on the ground level of the building. Looking through his small set of keys Bakura found the correct one and unlocked the door, sliding it open to let the others in.

Looking at the small apartment Yugi found himself pleased, it was much homier then these large houses Yami had. It reminded him of his house, being small and cozy. It was a simple set up, the living room having a couch, chair, table and TV, the dining room having a simple wooden table with chairs. It was a pretty typical set up.

"It's nothing as fancy as Marik and Yami have, but its home." Bakura said seeing Yugi who was looking around.

"I love it." Yugi said picking up a trinket on a shelf to examine it. "I prefer smaller places, much more cozy if you ask me." He said making Bakura smile in appreciation.

Yami wasted no time in flopping down on the couch, putting his heels up on the table after kicking his black boots off. Stretching out he put his hands back behind his head and took a deep breath. "Ah." He sighed. "I missed this place."

"I'm sure it missed you too." Bakura said from the kitchen, getting out a few cups and a pitcher of water, filling up the cups then putting them out on the table in case anyone wanted a drink. He sat down on the other side of Yami and grabbed the remote to the TV, turning it on and surfing a few of the channels.

"Put it on cartoons." Marik said sitting on the floor by Bakura's feet, taking a cup of water and sipping on it.

"There aren't any good ones on." Bakura complained, flipping through more channels.

Reaching behind him Marik grabbed the remote out of his hands and turned the channel one more time, the screen flashing then settling on a duel monsters game. "There, the US tournament."

Yugi turned from a book he'd been looking at on Bakura's dining room table and walked over to see the TV. "You guys like duel monsters too?" he asked curiously.

"Hell yea!" Marik shouted, Bakura nodding in agreement behind him. "Atem and we used to play all the time."

"We should all play sometime, we can do a double duel." Yugi suggested, standing up and watching the TV momentarily before joining Yami on the couch, curling up next to him and nuzzling his head to his chest.

"Tired, Aibou?" Yami asked looking down at him and running a hand through his black and red hair.

Closing his eyes Yugi nodded slightly, feeling himself drift off to sleep in Yami's lap. As Yugi slept the boys watched the tournament on the TV, and when it was over Marik flipped the TV to another channel. "I still don't know why you never entered those things Atem, you'd have crushed everyone." He mused.

"Eh, that's not why I play, you know that." Yami said trying to move into a more comfortable position without waking Yugi. Although the boy was small his elbow was pressing directly into his leg, making his toes go numb. "B, do you mind if I put Yugi in your room?" Yami asked trying to slide himself out from Yugi.

"Go head, we can have a bit of old time fun after that." Bakura said with a smirk, watching as Yami scooped Yugi up gently and carried him down the hallway to the back room where Bakura's bedroom was.

Setting him down on the bed and covering him up Yugi didn't move a bit, deep in a dreamless sleep. Yami watched him for a bit, worried that the boy may have one of his many nightmares without him there. He debated with himself on waking Yugi to let him know to come get him if needed, but thought better of it and left the boy sleeping, leaving the door slightly ajar so he could hear if Yugi was in distress.

Going back into the living room Yami was surprised to see Marik and Bakura on the couch, Marik laying out a bag full something green and a few small white papers. "Really? You guys are still doing that?" Yami asked, sitting next to Bakura eyeing the green substance like it was somehow offensive.

Both boys looked over at him, their faces thick with apprehension. "Oh get real. Don't tell us you've gone stiff." Marik said with a sniff.

"Well, no I mean I don't mind. Just Yugi doesn't know…" Yami replied hesitantly.

"Whatever, he is sleeping." Marik said pulling out a small chunk of green from the bag and breaking it apart over one of the white papers. "Seriously are you telling us you haven't smoked since you left to Japan?"

Scratching the back oh his head uneasily Yami didn't answer, instead leaning back into the couch as Marik rolled three joints, handing one to Bakura and tossing the other to Yami. Startled by the drug that landed on his chest Yami did the only thing his reflexes knew to do and picked it up, holding it between his fingers like a cigarette. "I guess one wouldn't hurt." Yami muttered, looking at the small joint between his fingers.

"That's the spirit!" Marik barked, getting up to grab a lighter and something from the kitchen. When he came back into view he had a bottle of liquor in one hand, and a bottle of soda in the other. Sitting back on the couch he used the lighter to light his joint and passed it over to Bakura, who did the same and then passed it to Yami.

Looking down at the drug in his hand Yami's stomach clenched. When he'd left America and met Yugi something had changed in him. Before he didn't have a reason to care for himself, it was just him and his mother. Having all the money he wanted and no one that really cared was a recipe for disaster. It was when he'd met Bakura and Marik they'd offered him some relief from the depression he'd been suffering, and he did have to admit there were some really fun times in there too.

When he met Yugi though that had all changed. The young boy had given him a reason to care about more than himself. Unknown to Yugi he had pulled Yami out of his own darkness, a darkness that Yami had hoped to never counter again. He wondered now if they should have even come back to America, knowing that his old life was best left behind. Still there was no way out of it now, and as much as Yami didn't want to admit it a part of him craved for that life style he'd left almost a year ago.

It was this craving that lead the light to his joint, the flame flicking to life as he inhaled a deep breath of smoke, letting it out with a heavy cough, his two friends laughing at him. "Jesus Atem, you really had gone stiff on us." Bakura said pounding him on the back, Yami flipping him off in response as he tried to catch his breath.

Marik leaned over Bakura and stuffed the bottle of liquor in Yami's hand, and Yami desperate for some type of relief from his coughing took a large swig without seeing first what it was. "Ugh!" he sputtered, almost spitting the vodka out in front of him, but forcing himself to swallow. "Marik what the hell?!" he said thrusting the bottle back toward him.

"Hey, just thought you could use a drink is all." Marik said innocently grabbing the bottle back and taking a long drink himself before chasing it with the soda. "Eh?" he motioned the bottle toward Bakura who took it with a thanks.

"You two are gunna be the death of me." Yami muttered sinking back into the couch again, putting the joint to his lips and taking another long drag. This time his lungs didn't object to the abuse, and within a few minutes Yami was sitting peacefully on the couch, starring at the TV with a far off look not even paying attention to what was on. The three passed the bottle of liquor between them and by the time they were done smoking the bottle was almost empty. Yami's head was swimming, thick with random thoughts of unrealistic things. With droopy eyes he looked over to Bakura and Marik, both slumped into the couch.

"What?" Marik asked, seeing Yami stare off past them.

Marik words lagged in Yami's ears, confusing him. Trying to get a grip on himself Yami put his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes hard.

"Atem's trippin' out." Bakura said nudging Yami gently, the teen leaning over almost toppling to the floor.

"He will be fine, throw some music on." Marik said knowing he was just high and drunk out of his mind.

Using a remote sitting on the table in front of them Bakura pressed some buttons and a stereo by the TV turned on. The mellow music chased Yami's creeping anxiety away, and within minutes he was sitting on the couch giggling his head off at the crazy feeling surging through his body from the drugs and music. The three sat on the couch laughing and talking about old times, Yami's stress leaving him completely as they reminisced on the past.

"I remember that time you dueled that guy at school and he freaked out and tossed the table." Marik laughed.

Bakura joined in at the mention of the event. "Oh god, and Atem your Magician was on the table. I thought you were going to beat the dude senseless."

Yami snorted and smirked at the memory. "He is lucky I didn't! I can't stand sore losers like that." He muttered, leaning forward grabbing the vodka off the table to finish it off.

"Speaking of Duel Monsters where is your puzzle Atem, I thought you never took the thing off?" Marik questioned, Bakura looking at him too awaiting the answer.

"Back at home." He said uneasily, not wanting to get on the subject of his millennium item.

Bakura couldn't help but give a small laugh. "Let me guess, Yugi doesn't know about that little bit either?"

"No, he doesn't. So drop it." Yami said quickly, putting an end to the subject, holding the bottle in his hand upside down to show the others it was empty.

"Hey, you know the rule; you finish it you buy the next." Marik said grabbing the bottle of soda off the table and taking a sip.

"I can't drive like this." Yami said standing up and almost falling over, noticing for the first time just how much he'd drank. When he stood he also realized he had to pee, really, really bad.

Unsteadily he walked to the bathroom, using the wall to support himself as his friends poked fun at him for 'not being able to hold his liquor anymore'. Looking at himself in the mirror after using the bathroom Yami noticed the large circles that formed under his eyes and his drooped eyelids. For a moment he almost felt guilty…but only for a moment. The feeling was gone quicker than it had come, suppressed by the alcohol and drug that intoxicated his system.

Before going back to the couch he poked his head in Bakura's bedroom to check on Yugi who was still sound asleep. Not wanting any of the smoke to creep into his room Yami closed the door quietly behind him, carefully making his way back to the couch trying not to fall. Much to his surprise he was greeted by Bakura who was straddling Marik, kissing him passionately as he held a bottle of rum in his hand.

"What? When the hell did that happen?" Yami asked stunned standing there. Last he knew both Marik and Bakura had girlfriends.

The two broke apart, Bakura leaning back in Marik's lap to look at Yami. "Few months ago,I guess." He answered, taking a drink of the rum and holding it out to Yami. Not bothering to ask where they had come up with the rum Yami ignored the bottle for a moment.

"Well go somewhere else if you two want to eat each other's face like that." He said then taking the bottle and sitting down in the chair near the couch, wanting to keep his distance from his friends if they were going to be making out like that.

"Smoke another joint and chill out Atem." Marik said throwing the lighter and another joint at him, which Yami promptly lit, rolling his eyes at the two began another make out session.

Settling down into the chair he tossed the cap to the rum bottle onto the table and took a hit off his joint, looking down at the floor as different thoughts ran through his mind. In his effort to ignore Bakura and Marik he didn't hear the door open down the hall, of the sound of footsteps against the carpet as Yugi made his way to the living room.

"What are you doing?" came Yugi's voice, Yami's crimson eyes snapping from the floor to the boy. Yugi looked at Marik and Bakura who resembled deer caught in headlights before his eyes drifted over to Yami, then the bottle and lit joint in his hand.

"Yugi…" Yami stammered, looking for a way out of the situation but knowing deep down that there wasn't one.

~~~~Please review, and thanks for reading~~~


	20. Chapter 20:Lost

~~~~Thanks for the reviews. Short chapter here, but I'm writing the next now, so I hope you enjoy. What do you guys think, should Yugi forgive Yami easily when the time comes, if it does?~~~

Yugi's light purple eyes looked back to Bakura who quickly got off Marik to snatch the bottle from Yami. "Thanks for holding this." He said quickly, trying to act like the liquor and joint were his.

Frowning Yugi kept his eyes on him. "Do you think I'm stupid?" he asked looking around at the haze filled room. "How long have you been smoking?"

"Uh…" Yami didn't know what to say, he knew this situation was about to go downhill quickly.

The three glanced at each other, each unsure of what to say. "Well?" Yugi asked, his mind trying to wrap around the situation.

"I dunno…." Marik said, finally finding the courage to speak up. "Few hours, I guess?"

"When did you even start smoking, Yami?" Yugi asked, his thoughts switching from shocked to angry as things began to set in. Since they'd gotten here Yami had been acting so weird, and just down right reckless. First the problem with the car and the police, now he was doing drugs? This wasn't the Yami that he knew and loved. Tristin and Joey drank occasionally, but Yami had never shown any interest in that until now.

"It's just an old habit." Yami said, desperate to explain himself but unable to figure out how. This was probably the worst scenario Yugi could have walked into, with Marik and Bakura stuck to each other while Yami sat with a joint and rum in his hand. If poor Yugi wouldn't have known better he would have sworn he had walked right into a house full of drug addicts.

Yugi's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Doesn't look so old to me." He said watching Yami put the joint out in an ashtray on the table.

Feeling like they were to blame Bakura and Marik glanced at each other, and being the more courageous of the two Marik spoke up. "It's our fault really, we pressured him to do it." He explained, trying to take some of Yugi's attention away from Yami.

"Oh no, don't you dare try and say this is your fault! It is his own fault, it's not like you guys shoved the booze down his throat." Yugi snapped at them furiously. "Some friends you are, you know Yami hasn't done any of this crap in the time I've known him? Now he comes around you guys and within hours suddenly he is using drugs and drinking like he did it every day!"

The insult stung both the boys, each looking down in shame as Yugi scolded them. Not wanting to take any more of Yugi's assaults Yami stood up, his body no longer swaying as his head cleared from the current situation. Despite being in the wrong Yami felt angry now, perhaps out of guilt or just trying to deny he'd been caught. "Don't talk to them like that Yugi, they have been friends to me long before I met you." He snarled.

Yugi eyes widened. "Well damn if that is true then maybe you don't need me anymore!" he yelled, throwing a hand out to the side and stamping his foot. "Was that the real reason you brought me here, just to flaunt me off to your friends? Guess I get what they meant now about the 'famous Atem'. Probably have a few boyfriends around here I should know about too, huh?! Just another thing you neglected to tell me, I'm sure." He continued on, his temper causing him to say things without thinking.

All his fears and doubts came crashing in on him. Doubts about not being good enough for Yami, about Yami not really loving him, and of course about Yami leaving. Love never lasted, in one way or another it was always taken. In some ways it is the biggest gamble a person could ever take, even if you had the luxury of growing old together someone always left first in the end, unless you were blessed enough to pass away together. Yugi learned this with his parents, and despite the deep pain and loss he still felt he'd taken a chance with Yami, one he was now regretting.

Bakura and Marik sat on the couch, looking back and forth between the two as they shouted at each other. Yami recoiled back like Yugi had struck him, his words cutting deep. "You don't really mean that…" he said quietly, as if to reassure himself too.

"I don't know what I mean, it's like I don't even know you right now!" Yugi shouted, walking forward trying to make his way past Yami to go outside.

Not wanting him to leave Yami stepped in front of the glass sliding door, blocking Yugi's way. "Yugi wait, please. We can work this out." He pleaded, holding his ground as Yugi tried with all his might to push Yami out of the way.

Yugi's shoes dug into the carpet as his small body shoved against Yami, desperately trying to push him out of the way as tears streamed down his face. "Yami move! NOW!" he shouted louder, almost falling forward when Yami gave way, but not of his own free will.

Marik had stood up and pulled Yami aside, knowing the best thing for the both of them right now was space. Words of malice and pain would get them nowhere, and resolve nothing. If anything was going to be solved it needed to be after they had time to calm down.

"Yugi, wait!" Yami called after him, trying to grab his hand as he threw the sliding door open and rushed outside, rounding the corner in a blur. "Dammit Marik, let me go!" he growled at his friend, trying to pull his arm free of his grasp.

"No Atem, he needs some space right now." Marik persisted, holding onto Yami tighter as Bakura came and closed the door, leaving it unlocked for when Yugi came back.

"He doesn't need space, he needs me." Yami said, panic building up in his system as the consequences of his actions set in. He just watched the best thing that even happened to him run out the door and onto the streets of DC. If Yugi never came back to him he wouldn't blame him, in a way he'd done nothing but lied to Yugi since he'd know him. Keeping a secret like this was just as bad as a lie in his opinion.

Tears began to swell up in his eyes as he tried again to break free from Marik. Failing he slumped down to the floor, his back against the door. Now that his adrenaline had settled the effects of the alcohol and weed were coming back, his head feeling heavy and clouded. Knowing there was no way to get rid of it he cursed himself silently, trying to think of what to do. He couldn't drive around to get Yugi, if he was pulled over for a DUI he knew that would do neither of them any good. Walking was always an option but the chances of finding Yugi were slim, they were more likely to walk circles around each other with how the neighborhood was drawn out.

"Look, just hang out here for a few minutes and give him a chance to come back, alright?" Bakura said helping Yami off the floor. "Let him cool down then you two can talk things out. He loves you, I'm sure he will listen."

Standing Yami sniffed heavily, trying to fight back the tears that were flowing freely down his face. "You guys don't understand, Yugi has been through a lot, he doesn't trust people to not leave him or hurt him." He explained, wanting his friend's to understand the severity of the situation. To make things even worse Yugi didn't have Ohpan with him for protection. It was true the small dog couldn't do much, but at least with Yugi walking alone it might ward off potential danger. "Joey is going to kill me." Yami thought, pulling out his phone to call Yugi.

To no one's surprise the phone rang and rang, going to voicemail. Not wanting to give up Yami called again, this time the phone picking up then hanging up, a clear message from Yugi saying leave me alone.

"I'm telling you, just give him time." Bakura said again, going over to the table to pick up the ashtray and empty it into trashcan.

With a heavy sigh Yami looked down at his phone and sent Yugi a text. "Yugi please come back and talk to me." It pleaded.

Knowing that was the best chance he had at reaching him Yami took a seat back in the chair, crossing his legs under him and putting his phone on the table to watch it incase Yugi text back.

"Here." Marik said, holding out a cigarette for Yami who took it willingly, needing something to settle his nerves. He was already in deep trouble, it wasn't like a cigarette could make things any worse. With shaky hands he lit it and took a drag, exhaling in a sigh.

Minutes ticked by as the three sat there, and with each passing second Yami became more and more anxious when Yugi never texted him back. The sun was slowly sinking in the sky and it was growing darker. During the day the city wasn't much of a dangerous place, but the same couldn't be said at night.

Yugi walked slowly out of the neighborhood, wiping his nose on his sleeve as he starred at the ground. "It was stupid of me to come here." He mumbled to himself ignoring the phone in his pocket as it vibrated again.

Finding a small pebble on the sidewalk he kicked it around as he aimlessly wandered, his thoughts dark with memories or his parents and failed past relationships. It was true he didn't really know what Yami was doing, and he probably should have stuck around to let him explain. Nothing he could say would excuse his actions, but Yugi also didn't know if he wanted to listen. He wasn't sure that he wanted to face the truth, knowing it would probably be ugly and hurtful.

Yami was attractive, smart, funny, and deep down a kind person. Assuming he hadn't had past boyfriends or girlfriends would have been ignorant, but Yugi never stopped to think that Yami would have been 'that' guy. The kind who ran around with anyone he could; doing drugs and showing off in fancy cars. To put it simple Yugi was now getting the impression that Yami had been somewhat of an egotistical jerk, the polar opposite of Yugi. The jokes that Marik and Bakura had made pervious only helped solidify his fears.

He had blindly fallen in love with someone, not bothering to wonder about his past situations. Normally he let things go, but now he had no choice in the matter. If Yami would had told him and been honest maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, but the shock of finding Yami in that state had taken him back. It really hadn't helped that Marik and Bakura had been making out on the couch either, or that Yami sat there apparently not caring. How many people had he been around that acted like that, not caring as he sat around getting high?

Taking a turn he continued to walk, unaware of the lingering darkness that was quickly slipping over the city. Only when the street lights flicked on did he bother to stop walking and look up, taking note of the shadows now looming in every ally and behind every bush. His hand instinctively went into his pocket to pull out his phone, thinking about calling Yami to come get him. As he was pulling his phone out he stopped, letting it fall back instead.

No, if Yami was worried he would have come and gotten him by now, not just sent him a text. Pain clenched his chest again, knowing that Yami was probably sitting back at Bakura's smoking and drinking, not worrying about what he was up to. Blinking back the threat of tears he continued to walk allowing his feet to take him wherever they wanted to go.

"Guys we really should go look for him." Yami said, now looking at the clock that read 10:58. The ashtray in front of him was almost filled as he had smoked himself out like a chimney, trying to settle his nerves. Instead of calming him the nicotine only made it worse, his leg now jumping up and down anxiously.

"Yeah." Marik sighed, looking out past the sliding glass door onto the street. "I really thought he would come back."

Yami shook his head. "You don't know Yugi, when he thinks he knows something he goes with it. It is rare he is wrong, but when he is he always finds out the hard way."

"Alright then, come on." Bakura said standing up, grabbing his cell phone that had also been on the table. "I'm calling Matt and Chris to help us look. It'll be better if we all split up."

Marik nodded in agreement. "I'll get a hold of Alex and Justin then."

Yami took his phone off the table and checked it, making sure he hadn't missed a text from Yugi on accident. When he was only greeted with a blank screen he frowned, looking up at his friends. "You really think they well agree to help, after all this time?" he asked.

"Psh." Marik waved away his concerns quickly. "Atem we all owe you, for one thing or another, believe me when I say this is a small favor."

It only took 15 or so minuets for the small group to assemble at Bakura's, each greeting Yami enthusiastically, welcoming him home even if it was for a short amount of time. Now that everyone was together and Yami was feeling clearer in the head he knew for certain they would find Yugi within no time.

"Okay, okay, everyone shut it!" Bakura said, trying to bring silence to the now cramped dining room. "Everyone thanks for coming, we really appreciate it, yada yada yada. Anyway Atem's new boy toy," Yami shot him a warning glare but Bakura continued on without hesitation "is lost somewhere and we need to find him. Guy is short and looks a lot like Yami, it is kind of weird but hey, whatever. His name is Yugi, and he shouldn't be too far. So Justin and Matt, you guys take the east side." He said pointing to Justin who towered above everyone, looking much like a football player with thick arms and legs, then to Matt who was extremely thin and of average size. "Matt if you want to do your monkey spider thing I think you can cover the most ground, so keep your phone on you in case you find him first."

"Now," Bakura turned to another boy who had black hair and brown eyes with glasses, reminding Yami of a kid you would find hiding away in a library. "Chris I want you and Alex taking the southern streets, so be careful okay?"

Alex, a tough looking girl with bright blue hair stood next to Chris, nodding at Bakura. "Don't worry, if anyone tries anything I got his back." She said, giving Chris a hardy slap to the back, making him stumble forward with an 'oof'.

"I know, that's why I put you with him. Now that leaves Atem and us, and we are going toward downtown in case he was heading back to the monuments, since he was there earlier. All of you stay sharp and call us right away if you find him, okay?" they all nodded and Yami's heart swelled, grateful for their loyalty. Not one of them had even asked what caused the sudden get-together, or why Yugi was out on the streets by himself. Just as he remembered if any one of them needed help someone wasn't far behind, always doing first and asking later. This was what he'd wanted Yugi to see, and now he was worried he'd messed things up so bad he would never get to meet the side of his friend's Yami had grown to love so fondly.

Pushing his worries aside Yami nodded and opened the door, everyone spreading out to search for Yugi as they had planned. Taking his keys from his pocket Yami got into his car with Bakura and Marik, starting the engine and heading toward the middle of the city, not knowing he was going in the complete opposite direction of Yugi.


	21. Chapter 21: And found

Walking along the dark street Yugi had since left his pebble alone, instead leaving himself with his own thoughts, trying to sort them out as he went. The last time he'd checked his phone, and ignored Yami's relentless texts and calls, was a little before mid-night. Now that his anger had subsided he was left feeling hurt and sore, wondering if there was a way to get back home.

His grandfather's words echoed in his head "What if something happens when you are thousands of miles away? Who would help you?" Yami had replied with an obvious answer, saying he would. The memory left a bitter taste in his mouth as he continued to walk. Unsurprisingly his grandfather had been right, and now he was stuck with no money, or way home and not even his dog there to comfort him. To make matters worse he was completely lost.

Somewhere in the middle of his sulking Yugi had made a turn to try to get back to Bakura's when he realized he had no idea where he was at. The only place he managed to get to was a park where a group of older looking kids were occupying the benches. Feeling uneasy about the setting he'd backed out of the park and continued to wander, looking for anything familiar to help him get his bearings.

After a half hour of this he came to the conclusion he was horrendously lost, and the more stubborn side of him refused to call Yami for help. Still aggravated with him he didn't want to admit to needing Yami for anything, so doing the most logical thing he could he took the bus, hoping it would take him back downtown.

Stepping into the bus Yugi looked at the driver, a kind older man who peered at him through wide glasses, giving him the appearance of an insect with large eyes. "Excuse me, sir." He asked quietly as the driver closed the door behind him. "Does this take you to downtown?"

Looking at the young boy the elder didn't reply for a moment, wondering if he should hassle the boy to pay the bus fee or let him go. The kid seemed to be in a sorry state, his eyes bright red from crying and his face tear stained. It was obvious he'd been having a tough night.

"It'll take you pretty close." He finally said, pulling a card from the dashboard and handing it to Yugi. "I'll tell you when to get off, then just take the next bus two more stops and you'll be there."

Gratefully Yugi accepted the card, bowing to the man in appreciation as was appropriate for his culture before taking a seat. Feeling more confident about his situation Yugi sat back and watched the buildings pass by, the bus coming to three stops before the driver motioned for Yugi to get off.

"Remember, two more stops and you'll be able to walk from there." The driver reminded him as Yugi stepped off the bus, waving a friendly goodbye to the man who had helped him. Maybe DC wasn't such a scary place after all.

* * *

Back inside the Ford Boss things weren't nearly as cheery, as Yami was now close to a panic attack as he drove down Constitution Avenue, even stopping here and there to ask a few police officers if they'd seen Yugi, and to please be on the lookout. "This is getting ridiculous, I should have never let him go out like that!" Yami said slamming his hand onto the steering wheel in frustration. They have been everywhere! The Lincoln, Jefferson and Dr. King memorial, the Washington Monument and every museum in between hoping to find Yugi on the steps outside of any of them.

"It'll be alright." Bakura said from the passenger seat next to him, trying to keep the worry out of his own voice.

"You do have half the police force looking for him now too." Marik said trying to shed a bit of light on the situation. "Can't get much better than that really. The guy on the horse in particular, he looked like a real winner."

Unable to help himself a giggle escaped Bakura. "Yeah, even with the coffee and sandwich in his hand."

As Yami was about to tell them both off his phone rang loudly from the center console and Yami scrambled to grab it, swerving the car slightly as he did. "Hello?" he answered quickly, his hopes dashed when Matt's voice came across the other line.

"Atem, we have looked all over the place. I'm telling you he isn't here." Matt said desperately, trying for what he felt like was the millionth time to explain. "Yes, I am sure, so don't even ask me that again."

"Ugh." Frustration clouded Yami's thoughts, so he shoved the phone to Bakura telling him to think of something while he drove.

"No luck, huh?" Bakura asked putting the phone to his ear. "Yeah…..no you'd have found him by now…..You think?...Okay sounds good, I will let Alex and Chris know." He hung up the phone and set it back down. "They are going to check out other parts of the city, Justin thinks he may of taken a taxi or something."

"He couldn't have." Yami said dismissively. "He doesn't have any money."

"If this kid is as bright as you were saying earlier then he'd find a way around." Marik said from the backseat, knowing from experience that if you needed, not just wanted, to get somewhere then you would.

Admitting defeat Yami kept quiet and drove to another part of the city, keeping his eyes open as they continued to look for Yugi while Bakura sent a text to Chris and Alex.

* * *

Waiting for the next bus Yugi stood looking around, hearing a bell toll from somewhere off in the distance. The sun had been long gone and the chill of night was steadily consuming the city, leaving Yugi to stand with his arms crossed, trying to keep himself warm. Looking down at Yami's hoodie he was tempted to throw it off and go shirtless, but he knew that would be stupid and just plain weird. He was mad but not dumb, despite his current predicament.

Headlights turned onto the street and Yugi watched as a bus approached and he got on, greeted (or more like ignored) by the bus driver who snatched the bus pass from Yugi without a word. Happy for the light that flooded the bus Yugi took a seat near the front, avoiding a group of men who were sitting at the back, talking loudly among themselves. Just as he'd been told Yugi stood when the bus came to a second stop, walking off and taking a look around, not taking note of the men getting off behind him.

Much to his dismay he didn't recognize anything. He could now see the Washington Monument in the distance but it seemed so very far off, being at least a few miles away. Confused on why the bus driver had given him wrong directions he turned, hoping to get better ones from someone else. Looking back at the bus that was now pulling away he saw the group of men standing around that had gotten off the bus, one looking back at Yugi over his shoulder.

Goosebumps dotted his skin when they made eye contact and Yugi quickly turned away, shoving his hands in his pocket and quickly walking down the street, fear taking ahold of him when he heard footsteps following.

Swallowing his pride and anger Yugi whipped out his cell phone and sent Yami a brief but quick text, knowing if the worst was about to happen then he didn't have long to write anything out.

"_I'm somewhere in the city, I got lost. Help_!"

The phone vibrated back instantly. "_Where_?"

"_IDK_"

"_Can you see the Monument_?"

"_Yea_"

"_Where is it? Left, right, what_?"

Yugi looked around to find it again. "_It stays to my left and in front of me_" he replied after taking a few different turns around the next few blocks, his fear setting in when the group of guys followed his movements.

The phone went silent and just as Yugi was debating on calling Yami a hand grabbed him from behind and threw him sideways into an ally. "Hey kid, didn't mommy tell you not to go out past curfew?" It was the man he'd looked at when he'd gotten off the bus.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Yami cursed, his hands visibly shaking as he read Yugi's text.

"What?" Marik asked from the back seat, leaning forward to try and get a glimpse of Yami's cell phone.

"He is in Southeast!" he replied frantically. Of all the places Yugi could end up he was stuck in the worst part of the city at night, alone, with no one or nothing to help him.

"Oh good." Bakura said with a sigh, his body deflating with relief.

"Good?!" Yami shouted, looking like he was about to knock Bakura out of the car.

"Yea, I just sent Matt and Justin that way." Bakura explained cheerfully. "Lucky guess I suppose." He took out his phone and sent a text to them, letting them know to be on the lookout.

Glaring over at him Yami looked back to the red light he was stuck at, his foot hovering above the gas pedal waiting for it to turn green. "Are you taking the highway?" Marik asked as Matt text Bakura back.

"Damn right." Yami said, his foot slamming on the gas when the light turned green.

"Oh god." Bakura said sinking back into his seat, watching the dashboard as it went from 0 to 50 in a heartbeat, then steadily climbed higher and higher. Feeling unsafe in the front Bakura quickly scrambled into the backseat with Marik, clipping his seatbelt on and closing his eyes taking deep breaths trying to steady himself.

"We haven't even gotten on the highway yet." Marik said with a smirk, reaching forward to hit the window button, rolling down the passenger window. Squeezing between the seat and the car Marik stuck his head and torso out of the window, shouting with adrenaline as Yami sped up, keeping one hand on the seat of the car while letting the other roam freely in the wind.

"Idiot." Both Yami and Bakura said, watching when their friend pulled his typical highway stunt as Yami shifted gears and pushed the car well past the law breaking speed he had earlier, not giving a damn how many tickets he might pick up along the way.

* * *

"Sweet, we found him…kinda." Matt said dropping his phone into his pocket and looking over at Justin who was snacking on a burrito he'd picked up from a 7-11.

"Kinda?" he questioned with a mouth full of food.

"Yup." Matt reached over head and grabbed onto a fire-escape ladder, pulling himself up with ease then hopping around to the other side of the ladder to climb his way up. "I'm going up, keep up this time, would ya." He shouted down to Justin who grumbled unhappily, dropping his half eaten burrito into a nearby trash can that had been set out on the curb for pick up.

Looking above him Justin watched, then out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadow cast from the roof above, gliding from one building to the next as he ran off down to block to keep up. If his coach thought running track was good exercise he'd clearly never tried to keep up with someone who ran parkour.

From the roof tops above Matt howled in delight, stretching his legs out far and breathing deep as he gathered momentum for a jump that took him clear across a roof, landing with a roll then repeating the whole process again. Occasionally the roof would drop down, causing him to slow his pace, jump off the roof, grab ahold of the side of the building then push his feet off the wall, making him backflip down onto a landing below. With downs came ups, and these were of no challenge to him either.

Gripping the edge of a nearby window sell on the side of one building he looked up at his largest challenge so far tonight, as he was now trying to scale the side of a five story apartment building. Making sure his fingers wouldn't slip he lifted himself up, hearing Justin huff and puff from below as he fought to keep up.

"Now what, monkey boy?" he called up to him between pants, knowing he had finally run out of luck.

"Psh, wait and see that's what." He replied, pulling himself half way up the window then pressing his feet against the wall again, pushing out forcefully flinging his body back at building behind him. Flipping in the air with his hands outstretched he grabbed onto a rail that was a part of a fire escape and swung himself up in a circle, his feet landing with a loud thud against the metal.

Down below he could hear Justin scoff. "Congratulations, you managed to go a floor lower, not higher."

Rolling his eyes Matt took a moment to catch his breath before taking as many steps back as the fire escape would allow then threw himself off. Rather than going back to the window he was on before he jumped for one with a patio, grabbing onto the rail and hauling himself up to stand and balance on it. Looking above him he was rewarded for his jump by a straight line of porches that hung out from the wall. Reaching above him Matt gave a small jumped and clung onto the edge of the concrete porch, pulling himself up then repeated until he got to the top, blowing a raspberry down at Justin who just watched in amazement.

Although it hadn't required the same momentum roof jumping had pulling his body up like that repeatedly had left him winded, but when he got to the top it quickly paid off. High above the street he was able to hear commotion from a few blocks down.

"Justin!" he shouted loudly down to his friend. "To the right!" With that the young man took off at a sprint.

Looking at the roof below which was a good two story drop Matt stepped back as far as he could and exhaled his fears, breathing in calm as he took off at a running pace. His arms drug above him as he jumped into the air and landed in a roll below, bringing his arms to his body quickly using physics to help spring him up, running faster unwilling to stop and lose any speed and power he'd gained from the drop.

The next few jumps proved to be mediocre and much less of a thrill, but as he jumped from on roof to the next he glanced below him to see a gang of people surrounding one smaller person. For the first time that night Matt fell flat on his face, not watching as he landed, his foot caught edge of the roof making him topple forward and smash his face against the roof tiles. Blood poured him his nose and lip but he ignored it, scrambling up to look down below at the scene unfolding, trying his best to make out the figures below through watery eyes. There was no mistaking that wild hair due that so closely resembled Yami's.

"I really don't want any trouble…please." He heard the smaller boy say.

A dark chuckle came from the man nearest to Yugi, who withdrew something from his pocket. What it was Matt couldn't see. "If you didn't you wouldn't be out this late." He replied wickedly, one of his friends cheering him on.

Looking around Matt groaned when he didn't see Justin, knowing he had to take matters into his own hands. Tired and achy from the hours of abuse his body had been going through Matt struggled to his feet and took another deep breath in, looking at the options he had placed in front of him in his own city jungle gym. Luckily for Yugi he'd made this his life hobby.

Rolling his shoulders Matt hopped off the roof lightly, catching himself below on a porch then doing the same thing again, swinging himself down to the second floor. Taking careful aim he stepped back and jumped clear off the porch, not twisting or turning in the air but just falling down in a straight line, landing directly on top of the man who was looming over Yugi causing them all to cry out in surprise, a few of the larger men stepping back in shock.

"What the hell!?" one of the shouted as the two toppled over, the man who held the weapon, which turned out to be a knife, collapsing over falling unconscious immediately.

With another groan Matt sat up, rubbing his head then wiping more blood from his nose. "Tada!" he said putting his arms out then falling back, his physical exhaustion over whelming him.

The group of now four quickly came back to their senses and tried to rush Yugi, knowing he had something to do with the sudden attack on their leader. With a yell Yugi covered his face, expecting to be beaten to a pulp within seconds.

Another yell carried over his when a giant form tackled two of the men, sending them sprawling to the ground as they tripped over Matt and their fallen comrade. A huge fist swung out a knocked one out cold while another stopped his assault on Yugi to try and put the Justin into a headlock. Unlike Matt his body had been taught to endure from years of playing sports, so although winded he was rearing and ready to go, grabbing onto the man's arm and leaning forward to slam him down onto his back, punching him clear in the stomach making the man choke.

As Yugi tried to take in everything that was happening a car screeching to a stop at the end of the ally way, the door flying open as three people jumped out. Not knowing who it was Yugi began to run off toward the other end of the ally when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Yugi!" Yami cried. "It's me."

Stopping and looking back Yugi could make out the form of Yami, Bakura and Marik as they ran into the ally to assist their friends. Marik and Bakura both tackled another of the men to the ground, Yami kicking him directly in the face sending him sprawling to the ground. Before Yami could reach Yugi though a hand flew out of the darkness and wrapped it's self around Yugi's neck.

"No one move a fucking muscle!" a voice from behind Yugi shouted. Yugi trembled in fear as he felt something cold press to his neck. Much like what had happened in the locker room Yugi's mind began to rush with unwanted chemicals, violent thoughts plaguing his mind unknown to his captor.

Yami and his friends froze, looking on with horror as Yugi stood with a knife to his neck. The man who was holding him had a dark, crazed look, a look only accomplished by years of hardening given by the streets. His eyes focused on Yugi, and he saw Yugi taking slow steady breaths, trying to control his anxiety. "It'll be alright, Yugi." He said desperately trying to keep Yugi in touch with reality.

"Yugi, huh?" The man purred in his ear, sending a chill up Yugi's spine. "Look here, all of your give me all the money you got, or little Yugi gets it." He threatened, pushing the blade against Yugi's neck harder.

"Okay, okay." Yami said quickly, shoving his hand into his back pocket and withdrawing his wallet, fishing out all the cash he had which happened to be a pretty large amount.

"Hand it over." He instructed, sticking a hand out in front of him for Yami to place the cash in. "Car keys too." Yami hesitated at this. It wasn't his love for the car that made him stop, it was the fact that it wasn't his. "Do it!" the man shouted, causing Yugi to wince when the blade cut at his skin.

Quickly Yami fished the keys out of his pocket and dropped it into the guy's hand with his cash, Yami stepping back carefully to show he wasn't trying to pull any fast moves.

Rather than release Yugi the man laughed darkly. "Idiots, you really think I am just going to let him go like that." He said eyeing the money in his hand greedily. "I'm not stupid you fucking brat, how about we go for a ride and you give me the rest of the money from your bank account."

"How about you shut the hell up." Came a female voice from behind. Just as the man went to turn his head it was met with a pipe, the knife dropping to the ground and the man falling with it. "Go to sleep." Alex said, dropping the pipe and brushing her hands together as if she'd just got done cleaning.

"Yugi!" Yami sighed with relief, running over to Yugi to grab him into the tightest hug he had ever been given in his life, ignoring his money and keys that were now on the ground. "I was so worried."

"No lie, really." Bakura said from the other end of the ally. "Have you ever been in a car driving 173 miles an hour? It's horrible, like knowing you are going to die and not being able to stop it."

Burring his head in Yami's chest Yugi shook as his body tried to overcome the shock it was experiencing, his neck stinging from the small wound that was now there. "I'm sorry I ran off. " he mumbled against his shirt.

"I'm sorry I was an idiot." He said pulling Yugi away from him so he could get a better look at his neck. "Where's Chris?" he asked glancing around in the dark.

"Here." Came a small voice from around the corner. Chris's glasses reflected off the street light as he peered around the corner hesitantly seeing if the danger had passed.

"Come have a look." Yami said ushering him forward, pointing to Yugi's neck.

It was when Chris was poking at his wound that Yugi had a moment to look around at the group that had formed in the ally. Alex stood panting heavily near the pipe she had dropped while Justin was kneeling down over Matt, shaking him gently awake. "He literally dropped from heaven to save me." Yugi said, his voice so thick with honestly that any judge on earth would have believed him.

Yami chuckled quietly, helping Matt up off the ground as he tried to get to his feet. "No, he didn't, just from the roof. This is Matt, one of the best free runners on the East Coast." Yami introduced him proudly, Matt mumbling hello as he tried to regain his normally perfect balance. "And this here is Justin, who has a tackle that can knock anyone down. Behind you is Alex, one of the bravest people I've ever met with street smarts to match, and this is Chris, who knows anything about everything." He said giving them all a proper introduction.

As Alex was stepping forward to say hello Chris cut her off in mid-sentence. "He's fine, no stitches necessary, although a good night's sleep would do him well… really all of us too for that matter." he said, his eyes shifting over to Matt.

Smiling gratefully at Chris Yugi waved hello to everyone, feeling over whelmed that so many people had been looking for him. "I didn't think you came out to look for me." He admitted shamefully.

"He wanted to leave right after you left, but I told him to give you some space." Marik admitted quickly, not wanting to see another fight between the two.

"A lot of good that did us." Bakura muttered, now with Matt's arm wrapped around him to help give support. "Look, let's get back to my place before these guys wake up. I'm really not up for round two."

"That's a good idea anyway." Alex said, bending down to pull something out of man's back pocket. It was a yellow and black bandanna, which they all looked at confused.

"What's that?" Yami asked, not understand why Alex seemed concerned with it.

"It's a gang's colors, guys you don't want to mess with. A few people have been talking about them, and if what they say is true it won't be long till their buddies come around looking for them." She explained, tossing the bandana down on top of the guy who was still out cold.

Looking around Yami checked to make sure they were still alone before grabbing his belongings off the ground, putting his money in his pocket and holding his keys. "Come on, let's go." He said heading back to the car, everyone following behind.

So began the great task of fitting eight people into a two door car. Yugi and Chris were the smallest, so they were automatically put in the back, followed by Matt and Bakura, then Marik who sat on Bakura's lap, his neck craning against the ceiling. Being the largest of the group Justin took the front seat, unable to move it forward as his legs were so long. Yami got into the passenger side and started to car, quickly driving off to leave the gang members alone in the ally and tonight's memories behind.

In the back seat conversations quickly got started, Chris laughing and offering his hand over to Yugi. "Nice to meet you, I'm Chris. I'd like to say we shouldn't get too close, Atem can be kind of jealous, but unfortunately that doesn't seem possible." He joked as he was smashed against Yugi when Matt tried to move around to stretch his legs.

Yugi groaned in discomfort and shoved back, Bakura retaliating quickly starting a shoving war. Marik bounced around as he was pushed here and there. "Knock it off I'm going to be sick if you all keep shoving me around like that!" he warned as Matt gave Bakura a particularly forceful shove.

Looking back in his mirror Yami glanced a Yugi and smiled, relieved to have him back, knowing he was safe now. Catching his glance Yugi smiled in return, and much to his embarrassment he wasn't the only one who noticed the loving gesture. "Aw look, they are all kissy kissy again. Come here Bakura, makes me wanna do it too." Marik said smothering Bakura with kisses over his cheek and face.

Matt rolled his eyes as Bakura pushed Marik off, laughing as he did.

"Can you guys control yourself long enough to get back to the apartment?" Yami pleaded as they passed a cop, praying he wouldn't get pulled over. Not only would that end in another ticket, but it would also mean waiting for a taxi, as the cop would never let them leave with the car as packed as it was.

"Calm down Atem." Matt grumbled from the back seat, shifting around again when his legs began to cramp up.

The rest of the drive carried on like this, and when they finally arrived back at Bakura's they all spilled out of the car, everyone but Yugi and Yami groaning with complaints about the uncomfortable ride. Yami didn't even bother pointing out the dirt or blood that was left in the back seat.

Bakura led them all into his apartment where his fridge was quickly raided, or tried to be anyway. "Dude, seriously?" Justin said from the kitchen, slamming the fridge door shut. "Bakura do you not eat or something weird like that?" he asked going into the living room where everyone was sitting.

"I haven't gone shopping yet." Bakura said grudgingly, not wanting to admit he'd been short on cash lately.

"I got it, I got it." Yami said quickly settling the complaints down, sensing a retaliation on his hands. Taking his phone out he dial the nearest pizza place and ordered what he felt like was the whole menu, with people shouting last minuet wants over the phone. Eventually Yami just held the phone out for the poor guy to hear.

"I want a cheeseburger!" Alex shouted across the room.

"Uh…Uh…No cheeseburger here!" the guy replied, you could hear him poking away at the computer screen in front of him trying to keep up with their large order.

"Hmph. Fine, I'll just get pizza then." She huffed crossing her arms.

Finally the chaos came to an end and Yami gave over his credit card number and they waited for the pizza to arrive, everyone watching the door like dogs anticipating their owner coming home. When a knock came on the door Justin was the first to jump up and snatch the food from the first person, and Marik got up to help the second guy carry the rest in. Leaving a generous tip Yami closed the door behind the delivery boys as the food was spread out over the kitchen counter and table. Chicken wings, pizza, breadsticks, subs, sodas, fries and somehow even ice cream was available.

"Really? I mean who ordered ice cream?" Yami asked looking behind him at his friends who were all eating in the living room. Matt raised his hand as he shoved a spoon full of ice cream in his mouth.

"If your face hurt like mine man, you'd want ice cream too, okay?" he asked holding the cold spoon to his nose and top lip.

"Thanks for that by the way you guys, you really saved my skin." Yugi said, for the first time acknowledging all their efforts.

No one even gave it a second thought, Bakura and Marik "mmhmm"ing, Matt dismissing him with a wave and the rest ignoring him completely.

"We owe Yami." Alex said after she'd swallowed a bit of pizza. "We'll explain later when we have the time, but it's no biggy."

Looking to Matt's busted face Yugi wasn't so sure, but he finished his dinner without another word. The night grew later, Justin and Alex passing out on the couch and chair while Bakura and Marik retired to their room. "Atem, you guys can take the guest bedroom, okay?" Bakura managed to say before Marik pulled him down the hallway.

Nodding to Bakura Yami stood up from the dining room table and stretched a long stretch, looking over to Yugi who was chatting quietly with Matt, asking him about his free running and how he managed to get up on the roof and jump down like he had.

"How about we talk about all that tomorrow?" Yami interrupted quietly.

Going back to his food Matt made a shooing notion with his hand as Yugi got up to join Yami, both of them walking down the hall and going into a room that was just before Bakura's. Stepping into the room Yami shut the door quietly behind them, slipping his boots off and removing his shirt before plowing into the bed, releasing a heavy sigh as he did.

Taking off his shoes but leaving his hoodie on Yugi crawled into bed next to him, resting his head on his favorite spot on Yami's chest. "I shouldn't have stormed out like that." He said feeling the need to apologize again.

"I should have been more honest with you." Yami replied, then tilted Yugi's head up to meet his and gave him a deep kiss, both of their heads rushing when their lips met. "I'm sorry."

Yugi smiled lightly when their lips broke apart. "I guess we are both sorry then."

"It would seem so." He said giving him a small kiss on the nose before settling back to bed. As much as Yami wanted to stay up late with Yugi sleep over took him quickly, the two drifting off tangled in each other's arms.


	22. Chapter 22: FEAR

Phew! I can't apologize enough for not updating sooner, and no excuses will make it better. I'll just ask for your forgiveness and promise it won't happen again.

Things are drawing to a close, and while it isn't overly dramatic it is real. Let me know what you think, and if you'd like me to do something review and let me know, I'll try and add it in for ya.

* * *

Late in the afternoon Yami woke, his half naked body snuggled closely to Yugi who was still deep asleep, his eyes twitching under his eyelids as he dreamt peacefully. Yami softly moved a strand of blonde hair out of Yugi's face, looking at him feeling grateful that last night's ordeal was over. Having Yugi safely back in his grasp was everything he needed, and although he knew that before now it was clearer than ever; Yugi was his world.

Not wanting to wake his sleeping beloved Yami slid slowly out of bed, leaving his shirt on the floor as he quietly open the door and slid into the hall, closing it with a small snap behind him. The T.V. could be heard from the living room, along with soft voices so Yami made his way down the hall, poking his head around the corner and into the living room where Matt, Bakura, Marik, Alex, Chris and Justin all sat, each with a plate of left overs in front of them from the previous night.

Before he could even bother with a hello Yami stopped, wincing at the sight of Matt's face which had blossomed into an array of different colors. Starting at his lip was verities of reds and blacks, stretching out toward his jaw and nose turning purple than finally yellow around both eyes. To put it bluntly Matt looked like someone had smacked him in the face with a two by four plank of wood, it was amazing his nose wasn't broken.

With a large frown on his face Yami stepped into view of the living room, looking directly at Matt who was struggling to open his mouth to eat some ice cream. "Did Chris take a look at that?" he asked moving closer, now noticing the blue bruising around his mouth and two clear wounds where it looked like his teeth had punctured through his bottom lip.

Matt gave a quiet nod, looking over helplessly to Chris.

"He tore his maxillary frenum and severed some nerves in his lower lip." Chris explained casually as he took a bite of his meatball sub. "He won't be able to talk for a bit, hopefully by tonight can mumble."

"Hmm…."Yami continued to look at Matt as if he were a wounded dog and Matt purposely avoiding Yami's gaze. He hated being looked at like he was fragile, and besides parkour had led to worse than this before. This injury just happened to be uncomfortable, but at least it wasn't debilitating like a broken foot or snapped wrist was. "Did someone get him pain meds?" Yami asked, still drilling holes into Matt's face with his eyes.

Matt responded this time, picking up an unlabeled bottle from the table and shaking it loudly for Yami to hear. Seeming satisfied with that answer Yami glanced at the rest of them before he turned to go into the kitchen and get a drink.

"Good morning to you too!" Bakura shouted to him, smirking as the others giggled at Yami's serious demeanor. He may have moved, but he still fussed over them like a worried father.

"Piss of Sticky Fingers." Yami retorted with a sly smile, referring to Bakura's old nickname causing him to look offended when Yami reentered the room.

"I will have you know, sir." He said with an air of sass, " I have not stolen anything in over a uh….um…." his face dropped as he tried to remember the last time he'd pick pocketed anything or anyone.

"A month, love." Marik said before taking a sip of his soda.

"Yeah, a whole month!" he said with a nod, looking accomplished.

Yami rolled his eyes and leaned his shoulder against the wall, taking his phone out and scanning it, clicking here and there. "So, what are the plans for today?" he asked them, not looking up from his phone.

Before anyone could say anything Matt's hand shot up into the air, doing a little wave just to make sure he had everyone's attention. Amused everyone stopped what they were doing, including Yami, and looked at their temporarily mute friend.

"What do you want to do? Go to the park and mime for the day?" Justin asked, receiving a punch in the arm from Matt.

Swallowing his food Matt opened his mouth slowly and used his tongue to talk, desperately trying to not move his lips, which if you've never tried is extremely hard when they are swollen and twice their normal size. "Shim." Was all he managed to get out.

Yami's eyebrow popped up curiously. "Shim? What the hell is Shim?"

"Maybe he meant something else." Marik said, earning an enthusiastic point from Matt letting him know he was heading in the right direction.

"Okay, so not Shim. Then what?" Alex asked puzzled. "Swim?"

Matt's eyebrows furrowed together and he shook his head quickly.

"Kim?" Chris guessed, Justin frowning and giving him a weird look.

"Dude, I doubt he is talking about some chick right now." He looked from the smaller boy with the glasses over to his friend. "No offence man, but if you are, we really don't want to know who you're bangin' either."

Matt shoved himself back into the couch hard, letting out a groan of frustration. "I really should have Yugi give this a go, he loves games." Yami mused to himself as the other continued to try and guess what it was Matt was talking about. As a rule anyone who called an activity got it in the order they called it, so rightfully Matt had first dibs.

"Gin!" Matt said loudly again, trying to pronounce what he wanted.

Before anyone could get another word out, or shout as that is what this had turned into, Yugi's tired crackly voice came from the hall. "Gym." He yawned. "He is saying gym."

Elated that someone had finally understood him Matt jumped up and went to Yugi, embracing him in a tight bear hug.

"The last time I went to the place I almost died." Chris whined, Matt glaring at him once he'd let Yugi go.

Alex nodded in agreement with Chris. "He has a point, he did almost break his neck."

Knowing Matt was unable to defend himself Justin spoke up. "Yeah well Chris shouldn't have tried a vault, everyone warned him not to."

Sensing an argument Yami quickly interrupted Alex as she was about to talk. "Everyone calm down, we can go to the gym first and if you don't want to do anything then don't. Plain and simple, after that we will figure out what everyone wants to do." He said taking sides with Matt on this, knowing very well he owed him for finding Yugi in the ally. If it wasn't for him Yami didn't want to think about what might have happened last night.

Yugi went over to Yami and leaned against him, Yami wrapping his arms around Yugi bringing him close and allowing Yugi to take his drink. "Good morning." He said kissing Yugi's neck lightly.

"Mornin'." Yugi yawned again, taking a sip of Yami's water. "So what's this gym, can't be that big of a deal, right?" he asked looking at Alex who could have been blowing steam out of her ears.

"Oh, it's not your lift weights kind of gym." Marik mused grabbing his bowl and standing. "It is more like an inside street with ninjas everywhere." He explained as he went to put his dish in the sink.

"Ninjas?" Yugi pondered out loud, sounding a bit confused. He imagined a bunch of people wearing all black and hoods running around the inside of a gym. The thought was kind of funny, he had to admit.

"You'll see." Yami said stepping out from behind Yugi. "I'm going to grab my shirt so we can go, the earlier we get started the better. I have a feeling today is going to be a long day." He sighed.

"What about Ophan? I need to go home and feed him and stuff." Yugi said, his puppy not far from his mind. He already missed the little guy, and after not having the small ball of fur curled up at his toes in bed he was feeling like something was missing.

"Don't worry, I have someone stopping by the house to take care of him. He is well looked after." Yami smiled at him before going back to the bedroom, leaving Yugi to wonder if Yami didn't ever take care of something. He always seemed to be on top of things.

Now that they had all planned out what to do everyone seemed to be in motion, putting plates away and cleaning their dishes, slipping shoes on and Justin began stretching. Only Chris and Alex seemed to be moving slowly, taking their time as they moved about the small apartment to gather their cell phones and other belongings.

Yami appeared back into the living room, giving a loud clap of his hands. "Okay everyone, cell phones, wallets, keys?" he asked, everyone patting themselves down and nodding as they checked to make sure they had everything. "Anyone who will be running needs to be in sweats or loose clothes." He glanced around, Matt was good, so was Justin, Marik, and himself. "Good. Now who else is driving?"

"I will." Alex piped up quickly. "Everyone who thinks this is fucking stupid can come in my car, we can sulk together." Only a second passed before Chris and Bakura were hovered around her, leaving Yami with the rest of the group.

Thinking Alex was being ridiculous Yami rolled his eyes as he withdrew his keys, heading for the screen door and out into the parking lot. Yugi took the front seat, leaving and very unhappy Justin, Matt, and Marik in the back seat all squished together. The engine purred to life and as Yami pulled out of the parking lot Justin was in the back requesting that Yami not kill them with his heavy foot on the way there.

An hour of stop lights, honking horns, screeching tires, and a few cuss words later they arrived downtown, not too far from the national mall that held all the notorious museums. Finding a parking spot Yugi's eyes inspected the small building that Justin had pointed out. It was tiny, only two floors and not very wide. Two large garage doors were placed at the front next to a small set of stairs that led to a doorway. Thinking back to his world history classes Yugi recognized the stone building as an old firehouse, easily imagining an old fire carriage parked in one of the garages.

"It doesn't look like a place for ninjas…." He thought to himself, not wanting to speak out loud in fear of offending Justin or Matt, who both seemed ecstatic to be here.

The car shut off and everyone piled out, Marik looking around for his boyfriend. "Weren't Alex and them right behind us?" he asked looking down the sidewalk.

Justin grabbed Marik by the arm and hauled him after Matt who was already nearing the door to the building. "They probably stopped to go shopping or something, come on they will catch up."

Snorting at the two Yami took Yugi by the hand as they walked up to the gym. "Matt loves this place a little too much if you ask me. He'd live here if he could." He whispered to Yugi who giggled quietly as they stepped through the door. Rather than a calm, collected gym with a nice front desk the place was very open, and a small closet to the right had been turned into a check in area which Yami, Marik, Matt and Justin gathered around.

Marik hadn't been joking when he said it was no ordinary gym, or that it was for ninjas. What lay before Yugi could have easily been considered overwhelming. There were no treadmills or weights, only high walls and ledges. One wall was the layout of a concrete building, complete with two open windows, a flat roof and bars that lined a porch. Another side of the building was a cluster of poles and monkey bars which you could hang from, jump from, climb up, or do whatever you wanted. The wall had bars sticking up it, and nearby were a ledges that had been set up in a row, all spaced out from each other. If Yugi had to make a list of everything that was odd about this place he could have written a book.

As much of a shock as the building was the people in it were by far more incredible. They could climb, flip and jump over anything in there. This wasn't a gym, it was a giant playground for adults; user beware.

He watched incredulously as someone ran for a monkey bar and jumped for it, catching it trying to swing forward to jump for another. When the man let go and reached out for the bar he just barely missed, his forehead smacking into the pole with a loud thump. People watching rushed up to make sure he was okay, and the man stumbled to his feet, clearly dazed from the knock to the head. The sight made Yugi cringe.

"This is one of the first ever Parkour and Freerunning gyms ever, and we are lucky enough that Matt knows the owner personally, so we can tag along with him and play." Justin said who was stepped up behind Yugi, taking him by surprise.

"How can this be fun?" he asked looking back to the man who Yugi was sure now had a concussion.

Justin smirked. "To do it you have to let go." He said as if that explained everything.

His explanation only earned a look from Yugi that said he thought Justin was insane, then Yami came up after talking with someone at the front desk. "Don't knock it till you try it Aibou."

Yugi's eyes almost exploded out of his head at Yami's statement. "You can't tell me you do this too?!" he accused, almost feeling like he wanted to smack Yami as someone behind him took a horrible spill from the roof of the concrete house.

"I'm okay!" The person yelled as he stumbled back to his feet. Was he the only one who saw how scary this was?

Yugi waved a frantic hand in direction of the hand as if to make a point. "It's no wonder Alex and them took off! You all are nuts!"

Marik and Matt had now joined the group, Yugi's voice raising had caught their attention. Yami frowned and began to scold his Aibou for being rude but Matt stepped in a promptly took his shirt off, careful to avoid hitting his face as he turned his back to Yugi. On it was a large tattoo that covered his shoulders, the large black, bold print reading F.E.A.R. the under it were smaller words, written in red.

"Fuck everything and run?" Yugi read out loud to himself, confused when Matt turned around with a nod. Why in the name of any god would he tattoo a cuss word on himself? Matt pulled out a piece of paper and pen that he had grabbed from the check-in desk and wrote something down then handed it over to Yugi.

"Bravery isn't the absence of fear, it is knowing fear and doing something anyway."

Yugi looked up from the note and shoved it in his pocket, still confused but no longer willing to argue. "Just give it a try." Justin said giving Yugi a slap on the back, his large hand knocking the air out of him.

Yugi let out a heavy sigh and shrugged, Matt leading the group over to a man who was instructing a group of people which Yugi took to be beginners. They were doing simple handstands, nothing fancier than that.

"Travis!" Justin said to the instructor, a tanner man with a strong lean build, much like Matt. He had a shaved head and was dressed in a purple baggy shirt and grey sweatpants. When he saw their group he smiled wide and accepted the hug was offered him by Justin.

"What's up guys?!" he asked giving Marik, then Yami a hug. "Long time no see, Yami! This lot told me you'd moved to- JESUS! Matt what the fuck happened to your face!?" Travis stopped in midsentence when he saw his friend painted every color a bruise could be.

"Gap gone wrong." Justin explained for him, as Matt still couldn't talk.

"Damn, can't say I've seen something that impressive in a while." Travis leaned forward to inspect Matt's face closer. "What were you hopping, sandpaper?"

Matt tried to smile at his friend's sense of humor then winced slightly when his lips pulled. He pointed up at the ceiling to try and explain.

"Roof, huh?" Travis asked, getting a nod from Matt. Travis turned back to his small class with an amused look plastered to his face. "Class!" Everyone dropped from their handstands, a few letting out loud sighs of relief. "This…" he pointed to Matt's face. "Is what happens when you A; push your body too far or B; act like an idiot and try and do something far beyond your abilities. Take note and start on your donkey kicks." With that the group dropped to their hands and feet and began kicking their feet out high behind them.

If Matt could have blushed he would have. This was Travis's personal way of correcting Matt for pushing his limitations when he should have known better, something the man had taught him since Matt had first shown up at the gym all those years ago.

"So who is this guy?" he asked finally looking to Yugi, amusement still sparked in his eyes as he scanned over the smaller form of Yami. "You two related?"

Yami shook his head no, knowing the question had been directed at him. "Dating, actually."

"Ah, cool. Ever free-ran kiddo?" The question sounded like a challenge, and the use of the word kiddo made Yugi's blood warm.

"No." he replied hotly.

"Cool, let's hit the building then. Hey Cassie!" he called over to a woman who was about to take off at a run toward a wall. "Come take over class for me, will ya?"

Without hesitation the girl came over and began to pick up where Travis had left off, correcting a few people here and there.

Matt, Marik and Justin took off on their own, leaving Yugi with Yami and Travis who he was slowly beginning to dislike. The man had an air of arrogance, and not the good turn you on and make you drool kind either. As they approached the concrete wall a few people cleared off when Travis asked them to.

"How about starting off with a high climb?" Travis said looking to Yami who nodded.

"Sure, want me to show Yugi?" he asked, Travis nodding in reply.

"Now watch really close as he makes his jump, okay?" Travis instructed but Yugi ignored, still feeling temperamental over the man's seemingly rude behavior.

Instead he just looked as Yami hunched down and took off at the wall then jumped, catching the edge of the roof and hauled himself up. Never mind that it was been a good 8 foot jump, Yugi didn't seem interested.

"Big deal." He muttered then took a few steps back away from Travis. Just like Yami had he ran at the wall and jumped, stopping a bit short and stretching up as high as he could but missing the edge completely by at least 4 feet.

Baffled Yugi stood there as Yami looked down at him from the roof. "You didn't watch, did you?" he asked.

Now feeling his temper flare again Yugi snorted. "Yea I watched, you jumped, big deal! You're taller than me so you can reach it, thanks for pointing out that I'm vertically challenged." He snapped

Yami disappeared from view then a moment later jumped over Yugi and off the roof, landing with a smooth roll at the bottom. As he stood both he and Travis came back over to Yugi. "No Abiou, you really have to watch. It had nothing to do with height."

Giving an impatient sigh Yugi stepped back away from the building with them and watched again, this time paying close attention when Yami made his jump. Now that he was actually looking he realized a few things. One, Yami didn't stop at all, two his arms moving gave him extra momentum and three he crouched very low before making his jump.

"See?" Travis said pointing out each action as Yami preformed it. "You can't stop, the biggest thing about Parkour is committing. If you stop then you'll fall."

"Yeah, yeah." Yugi said with a grumble, taking another whirl at the wall. He ran this time and didn't stop, bending and swinging his arms just like Yami had made another grab for the wall. The end result was his face being buried deeply in the concrete.

Watching from above Yami gasped loudly and jumped down, rushing to his lover's aid. "Yugi are you alright?"

Yugi held his face tightly, afraid to see if his nose was bleeding or not. "You said if I didn't stop I'd make it!" he shot at Travis who was now beside him.

"You need to put your foot up first, not your hand. You push your foot against the wall like your walking up and your hands carry the extra force up instead of off." Travis said taking Yugi's hands and moving them away from his face, relieved when he didn't see any blood. "You're fine. Try again."

Now wanting nothing more than to prove he could do it Yugi stepped away and ran at the wall again, this time putting his foot on the wall as if it were a ledge and swinging his arms forward and up at the same time. A rush of momentum over took his body as he was carried the extra few feet, his hand gripping the edge of the roof for dear life. His body shook as he slowly hauled himself up and over, giving a whoop of celebration once he was up.

A glance down to Yami was the only thing he needed to snap him back to reality, his body freezing in fear. Yugi hated heights, not just disliked, or didn't prefer, he hated it. Vertigo hit him like a brick as he sat down quickly to steady himself, feeling like he may faint. This was turning into the worst idea ever.

Yami quickly jumped up, followed by Travis, both coming to his side. Soothingly Yami rubbed his back. "Yugi it's alright." He said, knowing just how much Yugi hated being up high from their flight over to America. Travis gave Yami a questioning look and Yami explained Yugi's fear.

"What are you afraid of?" Travis asked, looking down at Yugi who was paler than a ghost.

"Heights." Yugi said as if Travis were asking what color the sky was. Hadn't Yami just told him he was terrified of being up high?

"That's not what I mean. What are you scared of? Falling? Tripping? What?" he asked impatiently.

It took Yugi a moment to realize what the man was asking, and once he did he had to stop and think. What was he scared of? Obviously he wasn't going to fall, the building was stable. Sure the vertigo made him feel like fainting but he never had before. Chewing on his lip Yugi realized what it was. He didn't trust himself to not fall, or trust the building to not fall. Deep down he didn't trust himself or anything.

"I guess I'm scarred of myself, and getting hurt because I couldn't control myself." He whispered just loud enough for the two men to hear.

"Ah." Travis stood up straight and looked down at the frightened figure of Yugi. "Makes sense really, you are your own worst enemy, right Yugi?" he asked grabbing Yugi by the arm and hauling him up.

Instantly his head swam and his knees shook. Yami made a grab for him but Travis shooed him away with his hand. "Leave him, he doesn't need to be babied."

If Yugi wasn't so frightening he would have strangled the man right then and there. Who the hell was he to tell his own boyfriend what he did or didn't need? Before he could verbally assault Travis he was pulled right to the edge of the building, Yugi yelped and clinged to Travis like his life depended on it.

"Holy shit Travis, I'm not joking help me down!" Yugi almost screamed, his voice shaky and weak. Any moment now he was sure he would faint.

"Nope." Travis tore one arm away from Yugi, leaving only his hand for Yugi to cling to. Every time Yugi scrambled to grab more of him Travis just shoved him away so eventually he stopped trying. He just stood like a cowering puppy dog, shaking and pale as people watched on. The anxiety flamed his harm obsession as he began thinking about jumping off the roof just for the hell of it. Maybe it would be fun, that moment when you knew he were about to die. Maybe it would be a rush that he'd enjoy.

His normally light, loving, gentle eyes looked over to Yami, burning with rage and fear begging to be rescued. All Yami did was look down at his feet.

Although he was terrified Yugi felt a sting of hurt shoot through him. Why would Yami just leave him helpless?

"Pay attention." Travis ripped him from his thoughts, his harm obsession quieting down in his head as he clung to the only thing that was keeping him steady. "One foot forward and walk." he walked forward, pulling Yugi with him.

At first Yugi resisted, but the backward tugging only made him stagger and yelp in fear. Although his harm obsession was trying to convince him otherwise the last thing Yugi wanted to do was fall, so he did the only logical thing available and took a step forward. Instinctively he stepped away from the edge but Travis moved him back, taking another step forward pulling Yugi with him.

"Travis I really can't do this." Yugi said feeling like he was about to cry. This was supposed to be fun and here he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"The only thing you can't do it what you won't allow yourself to do. Now walk." He said stepping forward again dragging Yugi along.

Taking another step Yugi mentally battled with himself. "Be brave." He thought, not daring to look down at his side for fear of falling. "I can't be brave, I'm too scared!" he argued with himself, then felt the balled up piece of paper in his pocket as his hand hit his side when he tried to steady himself. It was the note Mat had written earlier.

A new feeling crept up him, a warm feeling that helped drive his darker thoughts away. Yes, he was afraid, and that was okay, but right now there was something to be done, and he had to do it. His knees became slightly more stable as Travis pulled him into the next step.

"There ya go Yugi!" Marik shouted from below.

Since when had Marik been standing there? Oh well, it didn't matter now. Yuig took another step and pushed away his harm obsession, burying it deep in his subconscious. "I don't want to fall." He thought to himself. "I'm just scared of falling, but that doesn't mean I will."

He stepped again, this time without Travis pulling him. Now that he wasn't being drug Yugi realized it was much easier to move on his own, so without thinking about it he let go of Travis and kept his eyes on his feet, watching closely as he took another step, then another. By the time he'd reached the end of the roof he stopped on the corner and turned around with a smile, his shaky legs now gone and his anxiety significantly smaller.

Both Yami and Travis weren't far behind, and both were smiling encouragingly at him. "Balance and muscles take time to build up, but half of it is just knowing you can do it." Travis said with a smile, making Yugi realize that he wasn't a jerk, he just knew when someone needed fire under their ass.

"Thanks…." He muttered, ashamed he'd been so angry at the instructor just a few minutes earlier.

"Don't mention it. Now Yami, how about a gap jump?" Travis said pointing across the roof where a ledge sat about 4 feet away, not a huge jump, but considering the drop below things were more challenging than if they'd been on the floor.

"Sure thing, boss man." Yami said stepping back to the other end of roof and taking off at a run toward the edge. Yugi about had a heart attack when Yami jumped off the roof, after all who the hell jumps off roofs other than Matt's crazy ass, then was flooded with relief when Yami put his hands out on the ledge and swung his body around to land safely on the other side.

"Now, this is where commitment matters. You can't choose to stop in the air, so you either do it or you don't." Travis said looking expectantly at Yugi.

"Oh hell no!" Yugi shook his head. "I can't do that you've got to be joking."

"Hmph. You like the word can't, don't you?" Travis jeered. "Look just up, hold your arms out and when you get the ledge let your legs follow to the side. Make sure your hips are higher than your arms and you'll do fine."

Ignoring Travis he just stood looking over at Yami, who had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall. His crimson eyes complimenting his smirk, daring Yugi, almost saying 'catch me if you can'. To top it all off Yami held a finger out and gestured for Yugi to come over, in a way that so subtly seductive it drove Yugi's head right into the gutter.

Grumbling under his breath Yugi walked calmly back to the other side of the roof. "Hips higher than arms, arms out, and commit." He muttered to himself as he ran, stretching his legs out as far as he could to gather speed and leapt.

Seeing as he had never attempted to jump at anything face first his legs shot out before his body, shattering the arms out rule. Knowing he had to do something or fall Yugi made a choice and stuck his legs out close together and tight, trusting he would land where he aimed.

First the first time in months Yugi felt something. Eight feet from the ground, jumping off a roof and onto a small ledge he felt control, control over himself and his environment. Just as quickly as the feeling came it was gone, Yugi's feet hitting the edge with precision then the momentum carried him easily into the smaller jump that took him from the ledge to the floor next to Yami.

His heart pounding Yugi looked wide-eyed over to Yami. "Whoa." He huffed out, his breath still shaky and uneven.

"Good job, love." Yami cooed, running a hand through Yugi's hair.

Travis and Marik on the other hand could be heard laughing it up, Travis almost doubled over. "Fuck, you're all worried about a vault and you pull that stunt. Even people who have done this for years have a hard time with that."

Yugi blushed slightly as he and Yami took the steps down from the ledge, narrowly avoiding someone who did a flip off the wall next to them.

Travis jumped down from the roof next to Marik and beamed at Yugi. "How'd you feel?"

"Shaky, but good." Yugi said with a small smile, trying to hide the adrenaline that was pulsing through him.

"Free?" he asked, looking at Yugi knowing he'd understand if he felt it.

Taking a moment Yugi then nodded slowly. "Yeah." Even if was for a moment, for that brief second Travis was right, he'd been free. The tattoo Matt had came into his mind. F.E.A.R. "Can we come back again?" he asked looking over to Yami who nodded.

"Sure, how about we just watch for now though? Matt makes this place look like a joke." He said winking at Travis to let him know he was only poking fun at his gym.


End file.
